hooking with 26" slick

What converter do you have? I suspect your converter is more to blame for your poor 60 foot time than your gear ratio is. My 68 Satellite would 60 ft (1.69)as well as yours even though my et and mph are slower(12.35 at 107). 8.5 440,292 Comp, 906s, Torker, 750 dp , 10 inch converter(about 3800 stall) and 3.23 gears with 28x9 ET drags. Aprox 3700 lbs. If your converter is close to optimum, I believe the effective gear ratio increase from a 2 inch shorter tire will net very little et improvement. I would stay with the taller tires, especially if you plan on going faster in the future.