1989 Ford Bronco II XLT

Will the vehicle crank over but not start, or does the starter not even phyically crank the motor over?

One of the best ways to initially set ignition timing is to position cyl 1 at top dead center, slip the distributor into place and turn it until it aligns with cyl 1 spark plug contact on the dist cap. You might have to reposition it several times to the gear spline you want so that when you want to fine tune the ignition timing (comes next) you have a range of motion both the left and right. Snug it down. Unplug the spout connector. Start the vehicle. The vehicle will run extremely rough, maybe barely at all, but if you get it close enough it will run. Then turn the dist while checking your timing with a timing light. As you approach the correct timing (10 deg before TDC I believe) the vehicle will run better and better until it has no trouble at all.

I hope this helps. I learned all that by trial and error.