426 stroker, is it reliable?

If cubic inches is what your after why not think about finding a 400 big block and putting a 440 crank (mains turned down) in it and bore it .030 over. That'll give you 451 cubes. Use a set of mildly prepped 440 source heads on it. Should make 500 hp pretty easy with gobs of torque with the right cam. With the aluminum heads and intake it won't weigh much diff. than a stock all iron SB and you can probably build it for about the same price (if not less) than that 426 sb costs. A lot of guys think putting in a big block (even a low deck) is like shoehorning in an elephant but in reality it isn't that much difference to a small block save for the spark plugs being harder to access. The big advantage is the taller deck and short 3.75" stroke of a 440 crank will be a much longer lasting engine. Not to mention it'll most likely run better.