Welcome aboard, and thanks for the story! Beautiful kids too!
A Disclaimer, I am NO ENGINE BUILDER, but I can put them together, and from experience a low compression 2bl 273 can be overcammed VERY EASILY. That is exactly what I did and regretted it. That cam may be able to be reground? I believe Racer Brown Cams is known for that? Same with getting those lifters refaced. Any new stuff is a gamble, and I would hate to see you go thru the agony of having to redo it again.
Good luck, just a couple more options for you.
