Distributor removal / instal question

[malc350]

Car is a 1990 TPI vette with HEI.

Removed my distributor earlier and marked the position of rotor to distributor and distributor to intake manifold.

When I reinstalled my distributor it lined up with the marks perfectly but one thing I noticed when I removed it was that it seemed to rotate on its own as I pulled the distributor up?

Would there have been a reason for this - could there have been some "preloaded tension" between the cam gear and the distributor gear or could it have just spun rtound due to tension on the wires?

Haven't had a chance to start it yet as I'm going to need to buy a new water hose tomorrow. Just wanted to know before I satrt it if possible!

The engine has not been turned between removal and replacement of the distributor.

One more silly question, what connector goes on the left, TACH or BAT?!

 

[Radar]

I have had that happen many times. The bottom distributor gear and the cam has helical ground teeth. The slight rotation is the gear "walking" out of the mesh. When you reinstall the distriutor, just twist the shaft a few degrees past where you want it, "feel" the teeth into the cam gear and seat the body to the engine. Your rotor should then be pointing just where you found it.

Radar