X2, I'm running a 450hp 406 Gen1, even tamed it with hyd roller cam, fastburns and a well spec'd converter, but, it's still pretty uncivilized with my auto trans. A T56 would probably make it a little easier to deal with. Gen III/IV is a totally different story....

Now THIS is an answer tying into what they are trying to tell me,
althought I am looking at EFI for it
it is Gen1 small block, a Dart Little M to be exact

500+ torque is the first goal, and if I can squeeze 500 HP by 5500 rpm or so I will be happy

any cam recomendations for 450-500 HP w/ a 406 SBC?

10to1 comp,
TPiS MiniRAM intake
AFR 210's

You can street drive anything if your crazy enough.Yes some new cars come with that much power but look at the whole car and its weight also.I daily drive a 68 mustang with a 460 small block its fine tell its stop and go traffic it idles kinda lumpy.

Make the horse power with the heads. AFR 210 heads with 2.100 intake valves and comp porting. Comp cams 236/240 @.050 .600 lift. hyd roller. The big bore of the 406 won't shroud the big valve and it will help the flow numbers. The cam will make it streetable with a broad power band.

I could see why your shop would say a 406 stroker is overkill or overpriced, whichever. You could make the same HP with a 383, or even a 350 and it would save tons of money. You wouldn't have nearly the same torque, but why would you need it? I'll have about 3,500$ in my 383 and I guestimate it will have between 470-520 hp/tq. It's really a mild build, perfect for the street, and built to handle throughout the entire streetable RPM range (not too much top end or too much low end).

^^AFR 210's are a bit overkill, I would build a 383 with AFR 195cc intake runners - they outclass anything else in that size range hands down.

You could run a 700 hp motor on the street, it's not the power that matters, it's a question of where the power is delivered in the RPM range and how effective the power is put on the ground without losing too much driveability. In my opinion, I wouldn't want less than 500hp out of my SBC or why would I spend that kinda money.

edit - as for reliability, I would guess they're referencing to the huge bore, downgrade to a 383 then you won't have the cooling and structural problems. Also for mileage - that has nothing to do with the engine, it's gearing and airflow.

505 hp 506 ft lb pump gas 406 here. Close to 11:1 static, 8.2:1 dynamic compression. AFR 195 eliminators, and a comp cams XE 284 hydraulic flat tappet cam. Can provide other specifics if needed. Idles good at 800 and has no problems pushing the 67 down the road. As long as its over 2k rpm when going down the road, its happy. Runs 170-180*.