Need a little guidance from the gurus

Hello to a fellow Northerner
A snappy DD 72Valiant, on a budget, eh? To replace a slanty/904/7.25?
If you just need a DD, I 'spose you won't be running big meats out back. So no meats kinda means;Why even think 440?
For a DD, and a snappy streeter, and 275s or less,a mild 360 is all you need. A 440 would be like hunting squirrels with a cannon.How dead does it need to be to stay dead.Even a hot teener can be snappy.
If you go SBM, you can keep costs down.
If you put a Suregrip in the 7.25, and run smaller tires, it can last a good long while in a DD.
You can run a small-block 904, and keep your driveshaft.
You can leave the suspension and brakes alone for a while.
The current fuel system will be adequate.
So all the money you didn't spend on upgrades, can now go into the engine, which after freshening might/probably will, go ten years. How long will that pickapart engine go.Any warranty you get does not include the labor.How many times do you want to pull it for free?