Thanks Dave. Yes this car is not a strip or drag car, it's a wagon I will use for street and am going to try to make it reliable enough to use for my mobile detailing business and trips to the beach while getting the best gas milage possible.
The gearing and TH350 tranny is not going to help much until I can afford a 700R4 overdrive but then again I will be taking the back roads as much as possible so will stick to 55 MPH tops, mostly 45. Any other ideas what to change or look into for better fuel milage and reliability? Other than fuel injection or EFI, that is something I cannot afford for another few years.