If the car was puffing, popping and backfiring, I think you were a lot closer to getting the engine to fire then you were after you reversed the gear and nothing was happening at all.

I'd put things back the way they were and start rotating the distributor until the car fires up, which I think it probably will if the plug wires are going to the right place, assuming that the rotation range you need is not being impeded by the lubricating port hitting the block, in which case you'll have to lift the distributor gear and move it around one or two teeth.

I ran into a similar thing when starting my rebuilt engine for the first time; I just rotated the distributor until the engine fired up. As I got close, the engine behaved the way your's did, and when I rotated past that point by the right amount the engine fired right up.

Bill