Hey, I recognize you too! Good to see another Alaskan on here!
I got the Vortec out of my truck and on the stand, and did a little tear down. I knew it had a rod knock which was verified by at least 5 loose rods and the vast amount of metal shavings in the pan.
However, while this one is in on the stand getting rebuilt and for the sake of saving a few bucks for now and getting this truck back on the road, I'm thinking of dropping this engine in I built a few months back. It's nothing mind blowing, just a 305 with decent stock heads, R/V cam, Edelbrock carb and intake, and a nice paint job (hey, gotta make up horsepower somewhere!)