[RustyBucket]

My first car in 1967 was a '58 BelAir 2dr. 283 2brl. 3 o.t.t. I was 16 and the car was 9yrs. old and had led a rough life. My Dad & I spent a Saturday in Miami looking in the back row of crummy used car lots for a 2dr. V8 stick shift Chevy for around $100. It was the only candidate. It was a rusty Michigan car that ran ok. A month or so later I bought a '61 348 factory hi.perf rated at 350hp..... 3x2 Rochesters, solid lifters, 11 to 1 comp. My Dad was an engine guy & we had the crank turned 0.010, new bearings, oil pump, rings, honed the cylinders & had the valves freshened. 348/409's have a very unique block deck/combustion chamber/piston top design. Guys called 348's anchors & boat motors but mine ran pretty strong. I heard they were weak too but I ran the crap out of it for 2yrs and never hurt it. Had a Hurst Mystery shifter on my 3spd. and an open 3.31 rear. The car would run no traction 14.80's at 92-3mph.... which was pretty close to 325hp 396 Chevelles, automatic GTOs anda lot of other 60's muscle cars.
Re: your carburetor problems, I currently have a 750 Holley on my Blazer and a 600 Holley on my '71 GMC and haven't touched either one in YEARS.... but I had an Edelbrock on the Jimmy I sold worked fine too.
Looks like you live right across the state from me, maybe I'll get to see your pretty '58 when you get it lined out.