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A compression test will tell you whether you are losing power due to burned valves or worn piston rings. If your cylinder pressures are fairly even across all cylinders , you're probably in good shape. The dual exhaust was a good investment, and the 4 bbl. carb. makes sense as your next step. Check your rear axle ratio, since a numerically higher ratio can work wonders for your acceleration times. Next on the list , but more difficult, would be a high performance cam and then cylinder heads from a higher performance 455. With different heads, you'll have to be sure your pistons are right for the compression ratio you want. If you don't have obvious misfire, I wouldn't worry about the ignition system, other than a new set of wires and a new distributor cap. I've seen national record holder drag racing cars that run stock points type ignition systems with the old low voltage coils, and under about 6500 rpm they work fine. Detroit put high energy ignition systems on cars mainly as an emissions control device, and not as high performance hardware. With the advent of exhaust gas recirculation ( EGR) and leaner air/fuel mixtures, a higher energy spark helped to avoid trace misfire that showed up as higher unburned hydrocarbons and CO in the exhaust.
Good luck with your 455. With the right parts, it is a powerful motor !
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Love those Starfires
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