threw a rod, most economical way to get back on the road?

[bambbrose]

Guys, just threw a rod in my towing pickup. I need to get it back on the road before winter weather sets in.

Its a 1996 GMC 2500 with the 5.7 L31 Vortec and auto transmission.

I am asking you guys what you feel is the most economical way to get back on the road? I don't have a lot of dough to throw into this at the moment. I have all the gear to do the swap myself.

Options I've got on the table (open to others):
-Source a 350 vortec locally or through car-part.com used, prices look about $750 or so, but then I end up with an unknown motor. My truck only had 130K miles and let go.

-Buy the GM replacement crate motor, Price about $2000 + new oil cooler


Anything else I can do that is cheaper? I've seen some 5.3 for very low prices, $450 or so, but the rest of the swap seems like it'll cost some money to convert and therefore not be worth the effort.

Can I use any older 350 SBC shortblock with my existing vortec heads/intake to save money? I need this to be close to drop in due to timeframes.


Open to all ideas. Rebuilding the current motor is not an option as it is locked up completely, not just a rod knock.


Thanks for your input!