Thanks for all the good info, people. I will keep my eyes open for that Carter carb, and pick up that cheap Holley in the meanwhile (since I can probably turn it around for more than I will pay for it, if I don't end up using it).
Looking at my exhaust, I see it's 2" ID, which explains why it's so much quieter than my transmission. Guess I'll get into that when I get into the intake. My budget won't permit me to do anything in this area for a while, so I will have time to scavenge for cheap parts.
I also ran across a series of articles by Chevy Hi Performance, which they wrapped up into a book, but which are also available on their web site. They did a series of flow tests on over 40 cylinder heads, including 882s, the iron Vortecs, and some other budget heads. Worth a read. That iron Vortec head looks pretty nice, if I could find a cheap intake manifold that would bolt to it! Scoggin Dickey has a pretty good price, but all-new prices are just too high for me. Oh well.
