Q, thanks for the explanation of the Corvette mod. I suppose a new billet timing cover could/would be made without any hole to plug up if that's what one wanted.
Johnny, I hope you didn't feel I was harassing you. I just don't see any other bolts nearby holding the top of the timing cover to the block on my '68 so I was wondering what's up. And if I don't ask questions about things, I won't learn new stuff.
On the Hot Rod shows, they pray the car will start. They usually find the missing rotor, loose wires and other stuff they left out for the drama. As soon as it starts, they fix the leaks which I don't think were part of the script.
You've already found your missing distributor, showing you're a pro!