Opinions please- new hemi or 408?

I had an aftermarket serp belt setup on a 340. Next one will be JY Magnum. But even so- I can't help but think the aftermarket pan for the 5.7 will eat up just as much as swapping to serp belts on the 408. I think adapting/fabbing mounts for the A/C compressor to adapt a later one is probably the way to go on that update. Your M1 was probably not ever meant to have A/C (am I wrong?)- though it's possible for a touch more to the serp belt conversion you can also obtain a new style compressor swap.

Technically you can take the violence out of a small block's tone. No idea why you'd want to, but a much more conservative exhaust would do exactly what you want. Much of what it sounds like you're mentioning isn't really about the motor- it's more about the car. I think most of the difference really comes down to the chassis rather than the motor. An A body with a Hemi is still going to jump out like a 350hp A body, it's not going to be like an LX car. That's both good and bad- it's great if you want the car to hook up and go well, not so great if you want a softer application of power. I went to EFI on my car with the SB and I don't think I'll be headed back anytime soon, not sure why I've not been robbing harnesses with all the gear yet- such a great improvement without much work and the cost wasn't outrageous. (my complete setup to convert to EFI using the OBD-II has like right around $500 with everything from the computer to the fuel pump and lines) Just turn the keyswitch and it fires up like nothing and tunes itself for changing conditions.