I almost, Almost, ALMOST have to disagree with you Andy. I've seen those 2.8's make some serios hp. A friend of mine had an old X-SS Citation X-11 (truck heads, 2bbl) and that thing made GOBS of high end hp. A 2.8 Baretta even did OK in Firehawk (I think) for a year.
I had a GMC Jimmy with one that we breathed on (only slightly) and it made 168 at the wheels ebfore it lost traction on the dyno (damn, peg leg). The mods were NOT IT legal though , basically 390 CFM holley, mild towing cam, shorty headers, and an edelbrock intake.