Q&A for How to Install a Distributor

You'll have to bring your number one cylinder to top dead center (tdc) and adjust your rotor to where it's slightly before the number one plug wire on the cap. That should get you in the ballpark.

A good Motors Manual with a picture of the firing order would work, or looking under the hood of a vehicle with a similar engine. You could also take a digital picture with your camera or phone that you could refer back to later.

You can take the "new" distributor cap to an auto parts store, or where you bought it if not there, and match it up with one that they have in stock that fits your distributor properly. There are so many different caps for engines, that's the way I would do it. The person behind the counter at the parts store has a book that shows him the right cap.

your fire melted the points where the wires would have connected get another distributor