Howdy,

I've got a little dilemma and want to see what you all would choose.

I have an A-body, bare shell on a rotisserie with practically no drivetrain parts. Whatever engine I choose, I'll have to buy all the associated parts for it (radiator, K-frame, brakes, rear end etc.)

Or it's a wash whether I go with a small block or a big block when it comes to parts.

The car will be a street/strip car that can at least do 12s while also being a semi-daily driver.

I am considering a four-speed, likely a Passon 4-speed overdrive.

What engine would YOU pick for it?

I can rebuild a 440 for it for probably $4500 to $5000. I'd lean towards a mild build with a lot of torque, basically a stock 440 Magnum rebuild with headers, carb and intake upgrades (Around 420hp, 500ft/lb torque.)

I could also get a 5.9 Magnum for the car. By switching the heads, intake, cam and adding a carb, it'd likely be around a 400hp, 435ft/lb torque RPM motor for $2500 or so dollars. Cheaper than the 440, but also somewhat less performance.

Or I could build a 408 Magnum with a 5.9 core. Similar power output to the 440 at a slightly higher RPM... but I'd imagine a full build including new heads (Magnum heads likely cracked) would cost around $6500.

For the hell of it, I could also rebuild a 383 Magnum or a 400, similar in performance to the 5.9 or maybe more for around the same cost as the 440... but slightly better gas mileage (so I'm not constantly stopping for gas all the time.)

What would YOU do?