there seems to always be a suprise in a rebuild. i have heard of guys taking 4 or so engines in before they found a good rebuildable one. i don't think you can get in a hurry. you can sniff around for new parts on ebay and save even more money. i have actually had a machine shop hold a block for me to see what pistons i could come up with. i think oldsub is right do it yourself, steer clear of the short block. it doesn't have to cost more though. if it takes another month it will be worth it.
