Agreed you can build a 440" smallblock as easily as a 408, 4.25" crank with 2.00" rod journals makes for a very light (1850-ish gram) bobweight.

That said with the new trick flow 240's out there, I'd like to try a 400 block, 3.52-ish offset ground 383 crank low deck with something like a 6.800" BBC .990 pin rod with the 2.200" journals, I think it would rev as high or higher then the smallblock with the same compression and cam, much bigger valves and it really wouldn't weigh a whole lot more overall, probqbly within 30 pounds of my 440" W2 Iron headed 440" (360 based) smallblock.

The only thing I don't like on SBM's is the lifter angle.

Torque won't be an issue with either combo.