Getting 4.3 vortec to start

Replaced lower intake gasket, so had to pull the
distributor obviously, and now I'm running into a
problem where it's not starting we did mark it and
it's lined up with the marks. And now it sounds like
it's ready to fire, we had sprayed some starter fluid
in the intake and then tried to start it, and it shot
off one of the vacuum line 90° tubes. There is
spark and fuel(not much but enough) and unsure
about timing but everything seems lined up. Any
advice?