IMO a small block (340/360) with a 4" crank is one of the best bang for the buck engines in the Mopar world. A small block that thinks it's a big block.

If your sure you will always be happy with the results of the SB stroker then go for it
if not think twice about the future now
The reason I suggest that is you can't get much more C.I. out of the stock type 360 or 340 blocks, making a 400 block have 518. C.I. is easy
I've made 514 HP on CA pump gas with a 418 C.I. 340 stroker motor with a set of mildly ported W2 race heads, I made 612 HP with a pump gas 400 stroker motor that was 511 C.I. with a set of OEM iron 906 heads that where mildly ported with larger valves by the same head porter in SO CA
You can make 2.0 HP per C.I. on both types motors, I built a B1 headed 544 C.I. motor that 920 HP on race gas in the Boise, ID area several years back with out a lot of effort on tuning it
You get to choose your type of motor
But I'm a BB guy

I have built a 416 SB and 431 BB,for me it’s BB all day long in a street driven car,it’s a lot like the difference in an old two stroke dirt bike and a four stroke,when you get that two stroke wound up it screams but the four stroke will pull your fat butt around in about any gear and just keep pulling.

I have hated every sb 4-speed car I have owned,doesn’t mean I didn’t have fun with them just preferred the bb grunt for cruising..


Take that 400,drop a 440 crank in it and it will be a lot more fun than the stock stroke version.

A 440 SB is just as easy as a 408 if you need more TQ but I can't even begin to get my 410 SB to hook in my dakota so see no reason to go even more cubes. Min e pulls like mad from idle through about 6500 absolutly no holes in the TQ curve anywhere.

Any main cap walk with the 400? I've experienced it with both a 360 and 408. I just religiously go to an after market main cap and use studs. Solved the problem, but that is an extra cost in materials and machine shop prep. Keeping it under 6400 works too.

I've only built two small block strokers and both have pulled everywhere, gobs of torque.

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.

If you want to go 9.50 to 9.70 at 3,000 or heavier, you will need 700 hp? Expensive with a smallblock. You will need great heads, a rollercam, and an aftermarket block. Going with a 400 block will get you the power cheaper. At this stage of performance, weight reduction rule really comes into play. Getting wieght down to 2800 to 2900 pounds from 3200 is going to lower the hp requirements from 700 to 625 or so, much cheaper to get to.