Not that long ago—in Car Craft's Jan. 2015 issue, in fact—we documented the build of a pretty potent 351W build that ended up making 505 hp with the stock crankshaft and connecting rods, a set of KB ...
In terms of engines, bigger really is better. Yeah, you can spin a smaller engine to the moon or stuff it will boost to make good power, but for a naturally aspirated (NA) engine, life is just easier ...