69 383 Performance

I'd tune what you have, before throwing more money at it. 600 cfm Edelbrock carbs are lean on a 318. Get some smaller diameter rods and replace them in that carb, easily done from the top. Check TDC to verify timing marks are good, do a search on this site. I've seen them way off. Set timing to 10 BTDC to start and check where it is about 3,000 rpm. Check the distributor vacuum advance to make sure it holds vacuum. Check your gears. Maybe a tag or count the revolutions for one complete revolution. Most HP 383's would beat a 440 back in the day.