440 power gains/ aluminum head advantages?

PRH said
I had another thought…….
If the OP has a friend with something like a “known good” 850dp carb he could borrow and bolt on, that might be worth a try.
It’s basically just a tool/process to rule out any possible issues with the OP’s current carb.

I feel like there has to be some component that’s way off.
It seems unbelievable you could have that combo of parts run that far below expectations without there being a real “problem” with……….something.

To say it another way…….
IMO, the sub-par performance isn’t the result of how good or bad that exact combination of parts works together.
The poor performance is the result of there being something wrong with how at least one of the items in the combo is working/functioning.

i agree there's gonna be something way off that i'll notice at some point. i messed with 2 750vs i had that were good on other cars and there was no real change. compression is good and even all the way around. no vac leaks, good oil pressure, good a/f ratio. getting a little blow by from the valve covers which scares me but the engine has only around 500 miles on it so i'm gonna give it more time hoping the rings will seat more. doesn't smoke out burn oil. idles very well and revs good up to 6k. thinking it's gonna be something with the cam. either smoked lobes or degree is way off. but i've only built 3 engines this being the first far from stock components so i can be missing a few things.