Hi 67 Pacer,
Welcome to the madness. The 72 402 is actually a good engine with OK heads. They are oval port which is MUCH better than later year 454 peanut port heads. A good cam kit & intake & carb should do a good job waking it up. If you have a bigger budget then heads will help make more HP. I would do a mild rebuild and install a TKO-600 to make the biggest change that will help all around driveability like 1/4 times, cruising & better GAS MILEAGE!!!
If you need parts I can get a good combo that you'll love. Who knows, maybe an A/C unit will follow and it will become a daily driver.