[BruceWilkie]

I think with 3.25 main it might be a good compromise to drop down to a 4" stroke(440 ci with 4.185 bore)... Still good torque and less strain on the block... generally happier at rpm than 4.21 or longer stroke. Stock rod length is fine but BBC big end allows better radius on the journal. IMO a factory 421 or 428 crank is plenty strong. I'd upgrade to better main caps and studs though. Some(Eagle, K1) offer a 6.635 BBC rod that MIGHT help acheive zero deck as its only .010" longer than stock... The 6.7 and 6.8 BBC rods arent a bad choice though... Some builders will use a 6.535 BBC rod BUT its likely the piston gets a bit heavy...

3" main blocks have 1/8" more "meat" wrapped around the crank. Dont sound like much but when you actually look at the difference you can see it.

Still regret lettin my 440 go with a car I sold... its a good combo even with iron heads.