Timing cover install advice

[Highway Star]

If you've done this with the engine in the car, help me out. I've never done this, with the engine in or out of the car, and I'm petty much stuck.

I don't want to force it so hard that I break something or do something that I won't know I did until the engine is at operating temp & under pressure during break-in. With that being said, here's the problem...

1974 SBC
Chrome 1 piece timing cover


I have some of the oil pan bolts loosened, and have ground the "ears" off of the channel on the cover that straddles the lip on the front/top of the oil pan. I'm trying to "practice" putting the timing cover in place on the pan & on the locating pins, with the u-shaped seal in place. This is going to be tougher when it is time to do it because there will be gaskets and goop everywhere then.

Loosening the pan bolts did nothing. My bud is telling me he uses a 2x4 to do this. I have a tendency to be thick about things, and may just be missing the boat here. Is there a trick someone knows that can help me here? Is the trick just to pull the engine out and do it that way?

It kind of sucks, because this is the coolest thing to me, swapping cams in my Chevelle, but I'm starting to get irritated. Not cool.


Takers?