Thanks everyone. I'm still looking. No luck yet. Kind of hard to find a "free" or "next to free" 350 for some reason.

Bill, I'm considering your offer (and VERY appreciative of it, by the way), but obviously the distance/logistics are the first barriers, then compatibility with the 'burb follows. The engine that has died is a roller vortec 350, and I'm not so sure that is plug and play with the plastic poppet FI system that the vortec engines use.

Not having wheels...I thought I was done with that years ago.

Jake I dont think their would be a problem with the interchange assuming yours is Throttle Body Injectection and Bills is tpi .... just gotta use your appliances.

I believe that '95 was the last year for TBI. The raised-runner, electric fuel pump, roller cammed vortec engine took its place in '96.

I'm still looking...was quoted some pricing from an out of town crate engine house, and they are waaaaaaay outta my league.

It's been gone for 8 years now but I think the 96 Z71 I had was TBI.

Nothing yet...

Still nothing, mainly because lack of "funds" is keeping me from making a move on anything. Seems like around here, there aren't "used" engines for sale on CL or other such places very frequently or for very long. I can't find anything but reman or rebuilt engines for better than a thousand bucks..

I'm not feeling like this is a job I can tackle myself, and that is keeping me from starting to take it apart at my house. I have a friend in the neighborhood that has offered to help, who has a hoist, stand, shop, more experience than me, etc. He is busy with other things and I can't burden with my problems. Ultimately, I'm making myself stuck here, I guess.

Under the GROSS and presumptuous assumption that I haven't completely negated Bill's offer of "donating" his TPI 350, I wonder exactly what might be involved to make the swap.

A TPI engine is a flat-tappet cammed old style 350, right? Isn't that an iron headed engine but just like the L98? What are the cam specs? Vortec heads will bolt to it, but would it need different valve springs? Will it jive easily with the PCM in a vortec 350? Roller provisions? Fuel pump location requirements? Sensors? Manifolds? EGR? A/F and timing...compression, etc. I don't know, but am going to try to snoop around over at thirdgen and nastyz28 for some answers. I'm waaaay outta my league on this one. :D

The painless harness...what system does it hook into?