And a note on the 283. I built one up just like I suggested above, and sold it to a friend who replaced the wheezy 140 hp 305 in his '82 Trans Am. He gets rubber in the first 3 gears effortlessly, it LOVES to rev, and puts down an easy 20 mpg on a carb.
283 is a great motor, dude. I wish I didn't sell it. It runs so good, I wish I still had it.
The only difference between a 283 and a 302 is 1/8" less bore, and if you have an early 283, you are safe boring it out an eighth of an inch to make a 302. Get some good heads on that, and you can definitely run with 350's!!!
