I don't know how much the block was decked, my dad was the one who picked it up, I would ask him, but he's out on business. And the 9.3:1 compression should be exact, it was all measured with water, including adding in the space the gasket took after being smashed down.
Excellent! That's a great start and gives a great baseline to work with. Your Dad sounds like a great guy to be helping his son on this build. Be sure to thank him. :-D
The cam is a 268H (not the Xtreme engergy though), and it was not degree'd when installed.
That's the High Energy series cam and pretty much the biggest you can get away with a stock valve train, converter and power brakes. If it's squeeling on the track from the get go with Cal-Tracs, it's probably right on anyway and not worth breaking down the entire engine unless you want to install a bigger cam anyhow. The XE series 268 would give you some more power but not enough to warrant a cam change. Oh yeah, like Moper said, change out those valve springs! It can be done with the head on the engine with an air compressor or some guys have even used a rope stuffed in the cylinder. You'll also need the appropriate valve spring compressor which can be made or purchased.
It seems like the bottom end is doing fairly well, it could be better, but it will still squeel on the track with caltracs and street tires. The caltracs (traction bars only, is what I have) helped quite a bit if anyone is considering them. It helped the car stop roasting the tires when the throttle was mashed. Now it just squeels a little, fishtails a bit, then goes. Both cams mentioned looked pretty good for the setup, although im not an expert, I still haven't quite figured out the effects of lobe seperation and the intake centerline. But thanks for the advice you all have given.
If I were you and had limited funds, I would invest in some M/T slicks and SS springs before adding any more power. It just may get you in the 13.9x area. That 60' time is killing you and the fishtailing you mention is a tell tale sign of excessive wheel spin. A spring relocation kit so you can fit some fatter tires wouldn't hurt either. Then, you could just get to the strip, swap out the rear wheel/tire combo and go rip off some 13's. :-D Once you have wheel spin under control you could go with a converter in the 2500 rpm range and then a gear. If you still have wheel spin under control, then think about adding more cam/compression. :)
BTW, just got a pic of the duster in the sig now 8)