just drop the chain off the LEFT side of the cam gear (passenger side of car) looking from the front of the engine, thats the side your tensioner is on. I agree.. assemble with what you have. Once you do assemble it, crank engine over several times with the bolt on the front of the crankshaft only. Make sure there is no timming issues. When you get to TDC on the crank, look at the mark on the camshaft, just behind the cam gear on the side. So long as that is correct, you should be good to go. The tensioner can take up a fair amount of slack when the oil pressure is up. Do you know how to check your pump timming as well??