I am getting ready to rebuild my first ever motor and would like to know if anyone had some advice for me.  It is a sbc350 4 bolt main.  The motor will be going into a 1985 Chevy Scottsdale short wheel based 4x4.  I am doing this motor first to get some experiance before I try building a 383 stroker for my 1989 Camaro.  Any advice anyone can give would be greatly appreciated.  

You're being awfully vague. The term "engine building" can be used to describe a lot of jobs. Some people that have a machine shop assemble/install a few parts that they picked out call themselves builders since they simply didn't pull the engine out of a crate. If you have a question about a specific aspect of your future build then come back and feel free to ask.  

Ok. Before you pick up a wrench or buy any parts, the first thing you need to do is decide what you want this engine to do. Figure out what RPM range the truck is going to be driven in a MAJORITY of the time, is it going to do any trailer pulling, load hauling, etc. Is the truck going to be your daily driver?

Once you figure out what you want the motor to do, and what it's going to need to do, the next step is to find a good machine shop where you can take the motor to have the right work done. Stuff like honing/over boring, hot tanking and cleaning the block, rod/piston assembly, and short block assembly. My advice, since you've never built an engine before, have the machine shop assemble the short block. Plan this cost into your budget for the build.

You also need to decide if you're gonna reuse the heads on the motor now, or if you're gonna buy aftermakret heads. Again, if your budget allows, I'd recommend buying aftermarket aluminum heads. They'll give much better performance than the stock heads on your motor.

Then you need to decide on cam and valvetrain stuff. Since this is your first time, best advice is to call the tech line for Comp Cams, tell them what you're building and what you want th emotor to do, and ask for cam recommendations. Since they also own RHS cylinder heads, you can get a set of heads to match the cam.

What other questions do you have for your build?  

I want the truck to be a general all around kind of truck.  I don't want it to be so far over the top that I'm afraid to get in it and just go for a ride, but it still needs to have enough power that if I want to haul something, I don't have to worry about overloading the engine.   It is a 4x4 as well though.  So if I decide to do some off roading one night, it has to be able to that as well.  I've been thinking of trying for around 350-400 horses and a similar number for torgue.  I do know that it won't be a daily driver, but like I said, I still want to be able to get in and go for a ride if I want to.  

You want to have your cake and eat it too. It's a common approach, so don't look  any farther than common builds. This will be nothing very unique or spectacular it's been done thousands of times before so do your research and get to it...

Finding a good machinist is the best advice that anyone can give but it isn't as easy as it sounds. A lot of people think they have the best machinist in town, thus they know everything they just pump their customers full of hearsay and useless information. It's not by any means foolproof and kind of cliche but in many cases you get what you pay for. In many instances it works with machinists, cylinder heads, camshafts, crankshafts, connecting rods, etcetera, etcetera. I'm sure there are machinists out there that over-charge but the ones that are a little more expensive likely believe they deserve to payed extra because of their expertise and possibly their superior equipment. Just do some prospective scouting and learn when it's time to take your money somewhere else.

If you really want to do most of this yourself then you better be ready to go through some trials and tribulations. Nothing in an engine build works like it's supposed to. It's not something to be taken lightly, it's amazing what an engine like this will probably have to put up with. Trying to make 400 horspower for hundreds of thousands of miles with limited maintenance. So, don't skimp and do everything right the first time. Budgets usually need to be raised, time requirements usually need to be delayed, shops need to spotless, and tools probably need to be purchased, kept in fine working order, and be perfectly clean. The moral is that you will need an education before you go start throwing things together...

Feel free to ask more questions but it makes it a lot easier to answer them when they are specific. Questions like "i need advice on building my first engine" require a book to be written just to get a point across.