Direction of rotation. Easy, stand in front of the car and have someone start and stop the car a couple of times. Look at the accesories. Which way are they rotating?

Now you can rotate the engine as previously mentioned, but there is another way. I have used it since around 1958. You crawl under there with a light and a big flatblade screwdriver. Using the casting as a fulcrum, simply lever the Torque Converter until you get the drain plug in the proper position. Do it in the direction of engine rotation. Make sure the flat blade is parallel to the metal surface of the TC. In other words be gentle and don't make gouges in the metal.

The problem with the turning the crank with a socket and ratchet is that the first time requires an assistant under the car, or you going back and forth. Once it's located place a mark on the crank pulley so that next time it is easy to line it up.

Steve