Welcome to the site Bouncer!
For your carb question, if you dont get a response here, try
http://www.network54.com/Forum/88781/
Bill White there is a carburetor guru. He should be a lot of help. Using the Autolite 2100 as an example, Ford came up with something over 500 different variations/configurations. Then there are the 2150's and 2300s. All have your base pattern. So it would be good to get advice from an expert. If you check there, let us know what if anything you determine.
Edit: It seems reasonable to run a 2 barrel with very small venturi's. The 2100s (made for vehicles with the only polution control being a PCV), came with .098 and 1.02 venturis on the low end of the scale. In the abscence of expert opinion, I would try something in that range. The venturi area would have to be small due to the small displacement of the 2.3 L. You may end up having to remove the CAT.
I am running a 2100 with 1.02s in my 292. However due to reasons I'll not go into, the compression was mistakenly built very low, which results in low velocity through the venturis, thus requiring the small size.