318 head porting for the average joe

well they shouldn't be cracked, they just came from the machine shop with 16 new valves and a fresh valve job about 6 months ago, then to the spot they occupy on the shelf. they have new viton seals too. but they have not been ported. I was told they were shaved, "just enough to make sure they are square and not warped". I think only like 0.007-0,010 was the numbers they mentioned.
I got the 302 heads at a garage sale, from a guy who had a couple of late 80s trucks sitting along the fence line, the seller told me that the engine they came from "ran good "but that he had "built" a 360 to put in in that engine's place". Don't ask, why but I have always been a huge fan of the 318. have had many. I've done more 360>318 swaps than 318>360 swaps over the years, but have gone both ways based on "what I could get my hands on" at the time. Ive had some 360s that have been real dogs. the TBI one in my son's 89 Ramcharger had to have been the worst of them/ That truck now has a carbd 408.
most vehicles I have had, I have seen no appreciable difference in how a 318 pushes it down the road vs how it moved w/a 360 except at the gas pump. The 360s (that I have had) have had a much harder time passing a gas pump than any 318 I have had, except 1. the 88 TBI one I had in a shortbed D100.

on the "something is wrong" with my 318 in my Fury, I have had 318s in damn similar cars before, side by side, same gearing same size tires, etc and all stock/ but yet they don't run the same.
Yes, I have played with carb and timing on this one. it does "run fine" starts easy, runs smooth, 20" on vacuum gauge, steady needle, etc....and will happily cruise 70 all day, that seems like its happy spot. but it just seems to struggle a bit in getting there..... and yeah, alot of that could be the timing advance (or lack of?) from the Lean Burn. It still has its original Holley 2280 2 barrel in place. that "struggle getting there" is what I want to improve on.
It does have a true roller, double roller Edelbrock timing chain on it, already, I put it in about 10k ago, because "I was in there"// as in I had to replace the water pump and as most here know, from water pump to timing chain on a small block, is a difference of 4 more bolts. Did the chain while I was that close, was afraid of the age factor on the nylon cam gear that was original/stock to the car. I wouldn't think that timing set would be that badly worn yet. Whatever cam I put in, I plan to reuse that Edelbrock double roller set.