Awful? have you ever ran one? most people who talk smack about them have never run one and are just "following the crowd". Personally, mine ran pretty good. Made a nice flat torque curve and just over 350hp in a 318 with J heads. I actually liked it's power delivery so much that I'm putting it into a 318 for my drift project next year. (it's not an A-body)
But yes, due to the thumpr's overlap it isn't "ideal" for power brakes. Though can be done successfully.
OP. +1 vote for the 268. should be a good choice for a mild "daily driver" type build and make decent power too.