When I was teaching auto shop I would have my students play a game were we took a 289 Ford training aid engine that we had in a stand, pull the distributor out, put the points out of adjustment, pull all of the wires out of the cap and pairs of students had to put the engine in time, drop the distributor in in time, set the points, wire connect the wires and the coil wire from the distributor and fire the engine. Some got it down to about a minute and thirty seconds from start to run.
1. find the timing mark on the flywheel. clean up around it and mark it so you can see it. You may have to pull the cover off the bellhousing and do it under the truck but if you clean it up and do something to highlight it it will be a lot easier to see in the hole in the bellhousing.
2. pull number 1 plug and bump the engine over with the starter with your finger in the plug hole until you feel the compression against your finger. It may take several times before you or your helper bumps it just right to get the mark on the flywheel visible in the hole in the bellhousing. That is the big reason for highlighting the mark. #1 piston should be on Top dead center then. If you have the valve cover off you can crank it over by hand with number 1 plug out and watch the rocker arms. #1 intake valve should open and close and then the piston should come around to top dead center on the compression stroke. A long plastic straw out of a drink cup is pretty safe to use to stick in the plug hole of that engine to feel it come to tdc.
Side note: I originally did that photo to show someone how to adjust the points. from the sound of it you are ok there but with the rubbing block on the tip of the cam the point gap should be .016 inch.
Make sure that the rotor is pointing to the number 1 plug wire spot on the cap (not towards number 1 spark plug) You may want to mark the distrbutor body as to where number one wire goes.
set your distributor so the points are open on number one.
You want the rubbing block right on the tip of the cam lobe when you lock the distributor down.
with that it should fire up and run and then after it warms up a bit you can fine tune it.