Sounds like it could be a close call. What if I dropped down to the 7176 Edelbrock intake which is the Performer RPM dual plane. It looks like it gives me almost an extra inch to play with. Will there be a dramatic change in performance? Thanks.
Dramatic change? Most swaps to a good intake will net you 15 to 20 hp or ft-lb torque. With your new carb, you
may even see more. Good chance you'll feel in in the seat of your pants! But keep in mind, when you upgrade one
component, to see the max benefit, you need to possibly upgrade others, such as to a K&N air filter, or larger exhaust, etc.
On a 300 hp engine, a cold air induction system is worth about 20 hp.
PS I may have answered your question wrong. If you go from the air gap, to the Edelbrock performer dual plane, might lose about 10 peak hp/torque or so, in my opinion. The edelbrock performer dual plane I once had on my Cuda caused power to drop off quickly above 5500 rpm.