As said above, all depends on what you plan on doing with the car. Brent will steer you the right direction, so make it worth his while and purchase some of the parts he recommends from him.
My 393 stroker is very similar to what you are looking for in your 408. I used a Comp 294 Extreme Energy cam , Comp roller rockers/spring kit sized for the lift (important), Vic Junior heads, and a Scat 9000 rotating assembly. Weiand Stealth intake (clone of a Air Gap) Standard pressure
oil pump and don't forget to get the correct rotation water pump for the belt configuration and accessories you plan to run. Don't ask me how I know this....
Ask Brent what he prefers in balance. I used a standard 28 oz balance on mine and everything worked out great and it runs like a beast. Very lumpy at idle, picks up power at around 2500 RPM and goes until I chicken out. However, in town driving is a little irritating in traffic. If I had it to do over, I would go with a slightly smaller cam like the Comp 282 or a custom grind and I would (and may still) go with fuel injection. The new Fitech system and the Holley are reputed to be incredible and pretty much self learning as long as you can swallow the up front cost.
Good luck with the build. The engine was my most enjoyable part of the build.
Bob