98 tsi base timing

[shotgun94]

Hey guys, i recently did a fully rebuilt 6 bolt swap into my 98 tsi awd. The dsmlink i had planned on using was installed in a 95 ecu from an earlier project and that ended up being faulty. Im in canada so ill be waiting a couple weeks to get another ecu. I need to set the base timing, but i am under the impression that the 98 has no timing plug on the firewall to ground to, and it must be done through the computer. Can i use my vacuum gauge and set my timing for peak vacuum for a ball park to make it driveable until i get a new ecu, or should I just wait. It is my daily driver so the quicker i can get it on the road the better. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.