HEI Distributor

Does any know what mfg years of a chevy distributor will work in my '74 258? I want to go with one but not sure what year range will work.
Also, my harmonic balance doesn't have a timing mark. The timing chain cover has the pointer hanging off it but there is no mark on the damper so I can check the timing. I been around it several times both visually and with my hands. Anyone ever seen this. Is there a degreed tape I can use like they make for chevy's?

 

plenty of info on the HEI swap..try a GOOGLE searxh using amc 258 HEI
and you will see plenty of links for both 6 and 8 cylinders. Paragraph below was pulled from one of those sites.....


Purchase your HEI from a salvage yard. A remanufactured unit from a local auto parts chain will cost well over $100. Start the search for an HEI from vehicles of the years 76-82 with the GM 250. These distributors were most common in the Chevy Nova, vans and trucks. You will be looking for the HEI with the coil built into the cap. The proper HEI will already have 3 wires coming from the distributor body that plug into the coil on top of the cap. Note: It is likely that an HEI from 1976-1977 will have remote mounted coils. These units will work just as well as the others.

 

gone around it with a knife?? both of my timing marks were rusted over and not visible when i first got them home. if you can scrape some of the rust off you should be able to find the timing mark. if all else fails pull the distributor, get the engine at TDC #1, set the distributor to that and tune it in to what sounds the best with everything hooked up.