Yep. I’m afraid the 1974 318 just isn’t budget friendly for performance. You can get a stock LA 360 hydraulic roller or a 360 magnum (sometimes with an entire wrecked donor vehicle) for less than the price of what it would take to bring a ‘74 smogger 318 up to a decent performance level. And the sad part is the late mode stock 360 or 5.9 would still be probably be stronger if it we’re on a tight budget. It would definitely be the better choice if the OP is having to stick with stock gears and converter.