Snowman,
Yes the 500cfm Autolite I'm talking about is a 4-barrel, a "1.12" Autolite 4100 used from 1958-1967 or so. Vacuum secondary, like the 390 Holley. 500 Edel "air valve" secondary is similar in that it opens only when it wants to, not just because you floor it.

Advantages of a 2-barrel (the kind where both barrels open at once) for the street are:
1. They are cheap.
2. They are simple.
3. They have fewer idle circuits than some 4 barrels so can be better on smog.
4. They work great on 3x2v multi-carb setups.
5. They make great parts carbs for 4-barrels.
6. Good door stops, too.
7. They are also great if a 2-barrel intake is all you have.
I can't think of any other advantages of them.

Now, a PROGRESSIVE 2-barrel, like the 5200 Holley/Weber, the ex-Pinto etc. carb, is a good street setup. Only one barrel is used for cruising, but then when you floor it, both barrels open when you ask them to (it is a mechanical secondary).

Like any mechanical secondary progressive carbs (2-barrel or 4-barrel), sure you can bog the car by opening all the barrels at once. So you just have to ease into them on launch. The advantage is, on shifting a stick car, when you floor it again, they all open NOW, not fractions of a second later which could cost you the race.

Note the other guys' responses on that 230-230 cam - 'nasty' means if you floor it much below 3000, it will quit - literally. That nasty. At idle it will be tolerable on warm summer days with well-behaved carburetors, but 'nasty' when not warmed up. Nasty there means so rough it will load up in the wintertime and flood at some of those long, long traffic lights, stall, and you won't be able to start it again for maybe hours. It will sound really "Phat", but not very liveable. It will run like a big block v8 though, in that you'll be stopping for gas every 100 miles or less.

I just Gonk'd that cam for you because you will need to get pretty "nasty" with that 250 to keep up with your dad's Stage 1 car, else use a hair dryer (turbo). Or "NOSS".

Yup, you have a lot of choices to make, easiest would be to be happy even if you don't run 14s like that Stage 1 car. One of the best times I had in high school was helping to get a friend's 326-2v / powerglide Tempest from the high-17s to the mid-17s by adding a 4v. It still wasn't a "money winner" on Telegraph Rd back in Michigan, but we were happy with what we did, that's all that matters.