To get a feel for cam specs vs. vacuum and driveability, check some cam catalogs like Crower's. The vendors typically break their lineup down into three segments, with the "RV" level at the top of the chart and the race-only at the bottom.
Keep in mind that bigger displacement enables bigger cam numbers.
The vital statistics are duration on the intake lobe and the exhaust lobe, typically measured from 0.006" open to 0.006" closed (aka "advertised duration") and from 0.050" open to 0.050" closed (aka "duration @ .050"); lift on the intake lobe and the exhaust lobe, expressed in thousandths of an inch, e.g., 0.480"; and lobe separation angle (LSA), expressed in degrees.
The smaller the LSA, the more the overlap, and the choppier the idle, and the less the vacuum at idle. Also, the more the duration, the more the overlap. Overlap means that both the intake and the exhaust valve are open at the top of the intake stroke, so the piston is pulling in fuel air mixture from the intake and inert waste products from the exhaust at the same time, as it moves down the bore on the intake stroke. With high duration cams the intake valve also ends up pulling on the intake valve of the next cylinder in the firing order, which still has its exhaust valve open to the outside world. In other words, a vacuum leak.
Here's a pic of what's happening:
In fact, instead of pretending that I know what I'm talking about, I should link you the the David Vizard artilce that I cribbed this from:
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0607phr_camshaft_basics/index.html
You should read this article, and also search the PHR web site for Vizard's articles on compression ratios, exhausts, and carburetors. Memorize these four articles and you will know more theory than your engine builder.
BTW, I think I detect more Chevy-itis in his latest remarks about dished pistons. I suspect this because the standard Chevy small block is 350 ci, if not 383. Crank those displacement numbers into a CR calculator, also using a 60 cc combustion chamber and flat top pistons, and I expect you will see some pretty high CR's.
Edit:
Curving a distributor means to change the amount of ignition advance you get at each rpm. With a mechanical advance-only distributor, you start with about 10 degrees of base advance. As rpm rises, increased centrifugal force causes a set of spring-loaded advance weights to swing out. The tips of these weights are cam-shaped, and as they swing out they cause the plate on which the points are mounted (or the magnetic pickup) to rotate slightly about the distributor cam (or the eluctor wheel). This rotation causes the coil to fire earlier in the compression stroke than at idle. Typically, the added advance is about 25 degrees, and is "all in" at about 3000 rpm. That means that from 3000 rpm to redline you have about 35 degrees total timing.
Recurving the distributor means to change the rate at which this mechanical advance comes in (e.g., weaker springs let the weights fly out farther, earlier) and to change the total amount of the advance, by changing the stop which limits how far the weights can fly out.
Vacuum advance is used for fuel economy reasons only. It uses vacuum to cause the mounting plate to rotate. It only works at part throttle, because at wide open throttle there should be no pressure drop below the throttle blades, i.e., in the intake manifold. The increased advance at part throttle gives you more power for a given throttle opening, which means you can maintaint the same rpm with smaller throttle openings. But it goes away at WOT, which prevents ping. At a 3000 rpm cruise on a flat freeway you can have as much as 55 degrees advance, 35 degrees mechanical plus 20 degrees vacuum. You'd ping for sure if you had that much advance at WOT going up a hill in top gear.
