Thrust issues with AFR gauge and Brawler carb

AFR in my opinion is a tuning “aide”, it’ll have you chasing numbers til you don’t know which way to go. That carb has a choke, it’s not somehow pulling closed is it? On that note have you made sure no air bleeds or passages are blocked in the carb? That it’s good and clean inside. There have been reports of machining chips being found in the past inside other Holley carbs. Beyond that the only other thought would be the power enrichment circuit, maybe the power valve channel restrictors are way too large. These are just some thoughts on my part.