Got in a hurry and turned the motor over with the distributor out and the gear popped up. Now I cannot seem to get it to go back down again. At least not far enough that you can get the distributor back down and bolt up. What is the procedure to get that sucker back in place?

The washer under the drive gear is probably blocking the hole. Pull the drive gear out all the way and pull the washer out with a magnet. Put the washer on the drive and put it back in. See my classic thread.