Where did I go wrong? Other than being a cheap ***

Whoa 15.8?! ............I've had stock teeners do that.
What gear were you in and what rpm through the traps, what mph,and what was your 60ft. . Sounds like a 2-gear run, with next to no tirespin and not nearly enough torque-multiplication off the start-line.
And most importantly what altitude are you at?
And that cam is probably not helping,at all.
How fast do you want to go?

Imagine you are a young man approaching the prime of your life, and you are a bit of a sprinter. So put yourself in the starter box; with your ankles hobbled to half stride,your arms tied to your side, your lips glued shut,and one nostril plugged. That IMO is a fair comparison of your combo.
The hobbled ankles is your gearing.
The tied up arms is your tranny TC.
The glued-up lips is your exhaust system.
And the one nostril is your heads and carb.

And if you are at 5000ft, nothing but a lotta money will get your car hustling.

I'm not trying to be a dick; I'm just trying to shine a little light on the road ahead. At $150 a week, you might need to save for about 12 to 18 months to get into the low/mid twelves,reliably.