I could be wrong but I believe 74 still used manifold as opposed to the later years used ported. That said it comes down to understanding the difference and your particular engine setup. Manifold vacuum is greatest at idle and goes away as "you stick your foot in it", this good for economy if your distributor is properly setup. This means all mechanical advance in by 2500-3000 and vacuum limited to about 10 degrees. Ported vacuum increases w/engine speed and means vacuum advance is increased along w/mechanical. Personally I never understood the switch to ported other than another way to tune as vacuum advance was originally used to improve fuel economy and I believe ported was used to improve emissions. If I am wrong one more time, I am sure someone here will correct me. Best bet is to find a reputable local performance shop to properly set up your distributor for your application and if you haven't already done so, upgrade to a HEI. This is based on your profile indicating your truck is a 74.