Big Block Carb Question. What are Y'all Running?

[jorgensensc]

Okay guys,
I'm super excited about my latest endeavor, but can't divulge too much info as of now due to my belief that Murphy's Law will happen if I Overindulge before the process is over. Short Story is I am getting a vehicle from a board member Saturday. He made me too good of a deal to pass up. The Better news is that my wife fully supports this move and this vehicle will be her driver shortly after I finish it up (it won't take much). Pics to come after Saturday, along with more info!
The problem:
Said vehicle has a really clean 402 Big Block in it. I am completely ignorant about Big Blocks, etc except that I know they make Gobs of Torque (and I've always wanted one). The vehicle has been sitting for awhile without being started (probably about a year). I was told it will probably need a new carb or a rebuild of the original Q-jet. I'm kind of a simpleton and like the tune-ablilty of an Edelbrock. I do know about the advantages of the Q-jet once tuned effectively will be an extremely dependable Daily Driver Carb. The truck has the original intake, which I am not adverse to changing to an edelbrock intake. I can rebuild a used edelbrock myself easily, not so sure about a q-jet.
The Question:
Should I just have the original q-jet rebuilt? If so how much does that normally cost? How can I truly get it tuned correctly, since I can't find a shop around anymore that
A) Will tune a carb.
B) Has anyone there of any age that actually knows how to tune q-jets.
Or should I get an edelbrock? If so which one should I get? I have t on good word from someone that I trust a lot that a 1406 (600 cfm) will be just fine to run a Big Block. I have also seen edelbrock's website that they suggest the 1411 (750 cfm) for the Big Blocks. If I do the edelbrock carb should I get the edelbrock intake as well? Will the carb work more effectively with the edelbrock intake, or will the stock intake work about the same?

Since this will be the wife's daily driver I am not looking for tons of power. Just reliabilty. I don't need her to call me and say she is stranded, and I don't need her late for work because of difficulty starting in the mornings/afternoons, etc. And I definitely don't need her overheating in the Houston traffic.
With that said I know Big Blocks are Gas Guzzlers (no big suprise) and we are expecting that, however what minor mods can we do to not necessarily improve Hp/performance, but to help with a couple mpg on Big blocks. I know the obvious about engines being air pumps, less restrictive intake/exhaust. But is there anything else with these motors that we can do? Will an edelbrock intake help with the airflow, etc to improve mpg? We are working on a limited (read almost no) Budget for this vehicle initially.

Thanks for the input guys, and sorry for the wordiness of the post. The medicine I take makes me talk alot! And when i have no one to talk to it seems that I Type Alot!!
Can't wait till Saturday when I can post some pics!!
Shawn