They are leaving a bunch of power on the table with the restricted carb and it really isn't anything special.
I have the same book , so I am familiar with the motor you are referring to.
I think this was built for a fairly narrow operating range and for the buck , I'd look at different a cam , intake , carb and get a lot more out of it.
That is just one example he uses of the possibilities for a stroked small block , but unless I needed a spec motor for a series I wouldn't spend a lot of time puzzling over this one.