Yes, mine is a Passon 3.09 1st. And since the 273 and 340 share same stroke, I suspect they have nearly similiar torque at 1000rpms regardless of engine mods. Since I am only driver I can manage. And living in Fla starting on hills is never an issue. In your case I would convert to alum, I just would not expect it to be trouble free. Come to Florida sometime and you can drive my car

Reality check, that half the population is smarter then 50% of the people and it's a constantly contested fact.