I read through Tom's post and I think he has one word out of place, which appears to be in error and which appears to have tossed this discussion into a temporary tailspin. I'll read it again and make a correction if necessary. Tom, please chime in here too, I don't want to edit your post unless it's necessary.
The traditional distributor on a small block Chevy (and big block Chevy) is in the back of the motor, as shown here. They put it there to make it harder to get to, and to induce as much back pain as possible.
The traditional distributor on a small block FORD (and big block Ford) is in the FRONT (where it should be).
F = Ford, F = Front (as in
BETTER IDEA).
regards,
Paul