Not big deal to be 180 out, hell I still do it from time to time not paying attention. You can rotate it by hand with the VC's off and watch the valve motion, or bump the starter. On compression get the marks on TDC. Like Gus says, you can double check with some wire that the piston is up.
Gonna hit some basics here just in case, so don't take it personal. #1 is on the right side, first plug, looking in from the front of the car. I would say drivers side but I see you're in UK. Distributor turns CCW, that's pretty basic stuff but it does throw some Ford and Chevy guys off sometimes.
Run through the firing order and chase the wires in a CCW direction. If all that doesn't work, since this is a recent rebuild one other thing to check is make sure the lifters are not adjusted so tight the valves are open.
Wanting a Custom fit in an off the rack world.
I don't have time for a job, I just need the money.
