Now I dony think heavier always means stronger. And if u balance and harmonize the parts u wwont need a over heavy block or 4 bolted mains. And its probly not right to compare a chevy and ford 400 to each other. The real lfe counterpart is the W block. I think u are right to get a game plan first. Most guys really dont get into fords much past the 5.0, so its tough to get more than postulations about some what if ideas. Good Luck