318 - intake vacuum leaking

You'd be a lot better off with a small port intake to match your heads.
Absolutely!
I installed a junkyard-find, small-port, cast-iron, spread-bore 4bbl intake, and Thermoquad; and a 2800TC, on my otherwise stock smogger-teen winter-motor; and she was a lil ripper with 3.55/3.23/2.76, whatevers!