Efficiency, reliability, performance

[Dino]

All three go hand in hand in my book but my focus here is not on raw performance or drag strip times.  I want my 440 to be as efficient and reliable as it can be (without emptying my bank account0, and this in turn will give me the best performance for this configuration.

So here's what I know about the engine.  It's a 1970 440 hp out of a squad car.  It has six pack connecting rods, trw forged pistons, 10.4:1 compression.  Purple cam .474 / 280 and headers (need to measure headers and pipe diameter), def lesst han 2"
Electronic ignition.

Intake and carb are Edelbrock performer which replaced the cast iron intake and thermoquad. 

This is how I bought the car, I haven't done anything to it.

Repairs I need to do:  Install valley pan with crossover block and carb spacer to cool it down.  Hot starts mean I have to crank the engine for about 5 seconds.  Not really an issue anymore but it does smell like fuel in the garage and the intake manifold is pretty wet.
Fix header leak.  A/C comp is bolted and belted but the rest of the system is in bozes, I should probably remove the dead weigth for now.  Simply unbolt and remove belts?

Rear end gear needs to go from 3.91 to 2.94, see pumpkin swap thread.

Currently, driving mostly 55mph at 3000 rpm I average 11 mpg and that includes several instances of flooring the damn thing!  Hey it's fun, what can I say!  I check the mileage twice and before it was even a bit higher.  Either the odometer is way off or I have a pretty economical 440!

The engine runs really smooth and stable although I did feel a slight delay when I floored it once or twice.  I was raining so maybe it doesn't like all the humidity.  In any case I'm sure it can use a tune up.

So what do you guys think of this combo?  Anything I should do or change to make it more efficient?  It is not a daily driver really but it will be on the road a lot.

[Chryco Psycho]

Well there are more efficient cam designs now for sure .
I feel there is a lot of gain in Proform or similar carbs in both power & mileage over the 50 year old Eddy  design or go back to the thermoquad but tuning kits are very hard to get for them .
the engine is an air pump so the easier air is in & out makes a big difference , , I would recommend & 2.5" mandrel bent  system

[maxwellwedge]

If you are running 3.91's I bet you have the incorrect speedo gear in the trans.....this will throw out your speedo. 2.94's will throw it out the other way.

[Dino]

Thanks for the advice!  I'm reading up on all these things as much as possible, there's so much to learn but pretty interesting!

Turns out I was running 3.55 and the speedo was pretty accurate.  Now it has 2.94 it's way off so I'll simply have to follow traffic until I figure out what size wheels to run before I get another speedo gear.