400 Vs. 440 into an A body

there are two ways to do it. you can cut the 440 crankshaft mains, or you can have them cut the block to fit the crank. there are two camps, differing opinions, but most say cut the crank down. if you were totally rich you could just buy a brand new stroker crank ready to go but they can be costly. for a budget build your crank probably needs cleanup anyways, so getting it cut isnt much more. your big expense with be $350 for the pistons.

as far as heads and intake: watch this site for deals, if someone is selling a set of aluminum heads there you go. same with intakes. there was one for sale here just the other day.

if your machine guy can determine what springs are on the heads you get, then get a cam that works with them. if you go wild with cams, they have required springs listed for the high lift etc. then you have to spend more money

aluminum is better, but stock heads and intake will work for now depending on budget. if you already have the intake that is awesome. then all you need is heads.

My budget for the build is going to be around $3500-$4500. So with that I was going to try and reuse rods, use the steel crank I have, new pistons, Heads, Intake/Carb and Headers. There is movement on budget but I want to stay away from a $2000 stroker kit, if I can get the pistons and machine work done for $600($400 pistons-$200 crank grind) thats significant.

Oh I have a question for your tip on parts on this site. How do you know what you are getting is going to be good. It's not like buying on ebay or new online where you have buyer protection is it? Are you just going on "buyer beware"? Thanks,

Joe