318 Rebuild suggestions?

Some of the reasons factory LA360s in factory applications,don't usually make the numbers are;
very low compression, chamber shape,lack of timing cuz of the former two, bigger cam and bigger carb than a 318,usually stuck in a heavier chassis often with lower number gears,and, since they make more torque, we tend to drive them harder. And finally, if they come with a 4bbl they make this wonderful moaning wail when the secondaries open, which is terribly addictive!
So the first step,IMO, is bringing the chambers into the 21st century.And the second would be gearing and overdrive.
Reducing the cruise rpm, and increasing the take-off torque through gear multiplication should not be underestimated. I found my Hi-Comp.LA360 would easily cruise my 3650 pound chassis down to 1450 rpm,and less.Of course, the 292/508cam won't make fuel mileage down there.So, if you are gonna use the A500, with its 2.74 1st gear and .69o/d, just gear it for your tires to hit sub-2000rpm,cam it to run down there, and; voila. My '92 teener4x4 had 3.91s and 235/75-15s(29s). With these; 65 = 2035rpm.I believe it had the A518 with a 2.45 low. But with an A500 the starter gear would be 3.91x2.74=10.71. Ima thinking a well-thought out 360 could pull 3.55s, even with the 29s. That would pull the hiway rpm down to 3.55/3.91 x2035=1848;about a 10% reduction. Between the increase in engine efficiency through a modern tight-squish design, optimized timing, a triple-booster carb, and the 10% rpm reduction,hmmmmm;IMO, it should be possible to at least match what the teener made when new.But Ima thinking an improvement of perhaps20% over the teener,should be possible.This is about 3mpgs.All the while, you have the extra 360 torque.And when you need it, an extra 500 to 1000 or more pulling rpm at the top;depending on chosen cam.
Then again, if you don't need the rpm,or the torque, or if you applied the same principles to the teener...............well,you can see where this is going. Boost the Dcr,increase the breathing, reduce the gearing, and you are back in the game; leave the 5th wheel to the other guy.lol
In any case, it's fun to explore the what-ifs.