Hello fellow West Texan! I was born and raised in Midland and have visited Alpine on several occations.
I can't answer the question on the sodium filled valves, but forged internals are always a good thing. I agree with wrenchbender. A moderate sized cam, dual plane intake like an Edelbrock Performer RPM, and a new 4-barrel carb will really liven that motor up. If you are not too good at tuning carbs, definitely go with a q-jet.
Phil
