I know its pricey but using a 440 crossram from A&A transmissions would solve your hood clearance problems and give the car that WOW factor when you raise the hood. You could even badge it with Max Wedge stuff. The runners, since the right carb feeds the left ports and vice versa, means that the runners are as long as the tunnel ram runners and designed to run right into the port for velocity. Another alternative is an old Edelbrock STR-15 crossram.
