Is it me?

I've loosened the two bolts in the picture to finger tight but still can turn the distributor to tweak the timing?



Fingers

 

I assume you mean "can't turn the distributor to tweak the timing"
The slotted screw is the distributor clamp, and the bolt is what holds the clamp bracket to the block, so for slight adjustments you just loosen the bolt and move it on the slot. If nothing moves at all with both of them loosened off, the distributor is seized in the block housing, so you may have to remove the distributor and lose the timing and have to reset from scratch. This isn't tooo difficult, though. I've still got my timing light thingy in the cupboard in my garage.

Try a bit of penetrating oil first, though. The block is cast iron and the distributor body is mazak so there may be a bit of "corrosion welding" there.

 

Thanks Fraser,

Other than my typing I thought I may be doing something wrong, I have given it a good dose of WD 40 and will let it soak overnight

Fingers

 

Aside from the physical force required to free the distributor including it's removal, putting it back as iot was is not that hard./

Place a reference on the distributor body and one on the engine.

Remove,. clean and lube. Replace, align the witness marks.

Now, you are as you were.

proceedon the timing tweek.