Valve stem seal replacement 126 '85 380SE

[donbryce]

OK, I've read 3 hours of posts on this and have a Q or 2:
I understand that the cylinders are numbered 1-2-3-4 from the passenger side front-back, then 5-6-7-8 from the front of the driver side to the back. Also, I know the firing order is 1-5-4-8-6-3-7-2. To do the seals, I know I'll need to get both cam lobes at each cylinder in their uppermost position, ie, piston at TDC, firing position.

One poster stated that proceeding from cylinder-to-cylinder in the firing order is the best way, but that 2 complete turns would be needed for each of the 6-3-7-2 cylinders. So do I:

- start at #1, balancer mark at 0 degrees, then turn balancer to 90 degrees, go to #5, turn to 180 degrees, do #4, advance to 270degrees, do #8, then (and here's where I'm confused) advance to 0 degrees, turn motor completely over to 0 degrees again, do #6, advance to 90 degrees, turn over to this point, do #3, then to 180 degrees, turn over to this point, do # 7, then go to 270 degrees, turn over once to this point and finish with # 2?

- start at #1 at TDC, lobes up, do it, turn the engine over until lobes are both up at #2, ignoring balancer, do this, then proceed down right bank and down left, each time making sure the lobes are up and each piston is at TDC (eg., a length of wire in spark plug hole)?

Are either of these OK, or is one wrong, and what's the best way?
(and I'm aware that compressed air is the way to go, so I'm going to make up a fitting from a spark plug casing brazed to an air line fitting.)