Ryan, a recent classic truck edition did a carb comparison test that used a 283. I will try to find it and read it to see what mods they made to the engine. Give me a day or two for this.
If it were me I would stay at 9:1 or under so I could burn reg gas and investigate what Edelbrock may have for your motor. I don't know if they have anything specific for the 283 but it is basically the same as a 350 so their components may work for you as well.
I quick check of the Edelbrock site shows all SBC parts are interchangeable. That would be my recommendation to get more power from your 283 while maintaining reliability and mileage.
