I just finished my first timing belt change this morning, and must say the rope trick is a lifesaver, I was hesitant to introduce something foreign to the cylinder, but all went well. After an unsuccessful attempt at making my own pulley holder, out of desperation, I used the "starter" method with ease to get the bolt off. However, after witnessing just how hard the bolt was to remove, I knew there was no way I'd be able to come close to proper torque on reassembly. Using the rope trick was a breeze, and worked remarkably well. Once the rope compresses against the head, the crank really locks right down. 122 ft.lb with no hesitation.

Another note, It's really worth it to be suspicious of the lines printed on the timing belt. I thought I lined everything up at tdc with the lines on the belt & found the engine to run rough after reassembly. When I took the upper cover back off and lined the cam pulley up with it's marking & the crank pulley @ tdc, I found the distributor rotor was advanced a bit. I was able to compress the tensioner and slip the distributor pulley back by one tooth. Reassembled everything and now runs like a dream. In the future, I'll definitely take a look under the distro cap to double check everything is where it's supposed to be.