When I got my first T engine and went through all these steps and still was way off on the timing and couldn't get it started. Only further research revealed that the piston goes up twice, once for cmpression and once for exhaust. I was at the top of the piston travel, but on the exhaust stroke. So a straw or dowel will find top of piston stroke, but it still takes a basic understanding of the engine to find the correct TDC.
