[RodB]

Hi - Alignment is a lot like what you are comfortable with and what the situation is.  The tuning cap is set to open or closed because there is a good chance that there is no station signal to interfere with your test equipment.  So it's completely up to you.  Injecting the IF at any given point depends on the known status of the IF transformers.  When they are new, they will be set at an unknown position, so sending a frequency of 455KHz through 2 transformers may get zero results.  You get better results if you start with the second IF then progress to the first.  When the radio has been consumerized it is pretty close to being where it should be.  But now some smart guy comes along 70 years later and puts in all new parts which shifts things around a little.  In this case you can get away with the IF freq fed to the grid of the mixer tube, adjust the second IF, then the first, repeat ad nausea.  You will surely see other variations of this routine and it is good to try them and pick the one you want to use.

Rod