Okay so its a long story short I am out of my depth mechanically & need some advise. I was given the task of helping someone who had begun & given up on a cylinder head replacement & they were very new to working on engines. I was given a box of unlabelled bolts & parts but I have the service manual so its just a big puzzle for me.

I have replaced the head gasket now (mysteriously no warpage of head or block), Must have overheated so I've replaced the thermostat & waterpump just to be a bit safer. I have put the cams back in & the cam gears to match the timing chain marks at tdc. I went to turn the engine over & the crank pulley had been removed by the last guy for seemingly no reason, I put it back on but I cannot turn the engine all the way over without getting to a stop where maybe there is interference with a piston & valve.

I have no idea really how to move forward to get the correct timing back. It was surely at tdc when I saw the pistons & the cams are back where they were before .. Any advise?