If it were mine I would run the comp xe 274 and get 2.02 valves and a bowl blend done.Then when you rebuild the trans I would give superior convertor (in portland) a call and have them build you a convertor,theyre cheap but they work great. Ive personally used several over the years with no problems and very little slippage on the big end at the track.With that set up you should run easy 12s with traction,have a good lope at idle but still have a very streetable car.Im just curious,whos doing your machine work?,the shop I use does great head work and its extremely affordable.