Need a Mopar guru: 273 part-throttle ping driving me crazy!

Cast iron, dual point, ball bearing vacuum advance Prestolite distributors only came on Commando / Charger 4 barrel 273's. The "Correct" 68 273 would have open chambered heads like the 318, slightly taller flat top pistons with 4 valve notches, a standard Chrysler distributor, and hydraulic lifter cam setup. What you have, may or may not be, a stock 273 2 barrel from a 1968 Belvedere. Closed chambered heads are typically less prone to detonation, but in a 273 closed chambers will give more compression. Which is going in the wrong direction for you.

Every 273 I've ever taken apart, most of which were 2BBl engines all had closed chamber heads which use 5/16 bolts on the intake manifold. I just recently received a pair of heads from a 68 Dart 4dr 273 2BBL car which also had the solid lifter cam and adjustable valve train. I've never run across an open chamber head that came stock on a 273....