Hi again,
Been reading up on crate motors and am leaning towards the L31 truck motor. All new parts from GM, has the good Vortec heads and roller cam and 9.4:1 compression for about 500 more than the 260 HP long block. It comes with a 3 year warranty instead of the 6 month warranty offered by the rebuilder guy I mentioned earlier. It is rated at 255 HP, 330 Lb-ft tq net, whereas the 260 and 290 HP crate motors were gross ratings. Any of these engines will be a huge change from the 123 HP from my 235!
Called the engine builder back to see if he would be willing to start with a new L31 short or long block instead of finding an old block and boring it out. His answer was interesting - made some disparaging remarks about Mexican blocks and not knowing what you get with a crate motor. Reading between the lines, he probably decided it isn't worth his time just to bolt on heads, intake and a carb.
