i have a 87 150 4.9 i bought from a friend and when i went to set the timing i put the #1 cyl at tdc compression and the notch in the crank pulley was at 6 o'clock at the bottom no where near the timing mark plate does anyone know why? doesnt make sense it should be at the tdc mark on the timing plate shouldnt it!!!!

 

Sounds like you should look at a repair manual, make sure you have the correct "#1" piston. Set it at TDC, drop in the distributor with the rotor button facing the correct wire that corresponds with the #1 piston, and fire it up. I dont know how it works exactly, but maybe your harmonic balancer is in the wrong spot (rotation wise)