[RichardJ]

>>I want to keep the truck the way it came, with an old school engine.<<

The 250 is an old school engine. Stick the 4bbl on it. Cam, headers, lump ports.
That's old school and it's original and different than the run of the mill SBC.


>>I ended up finding a super clean complete 79k mile all original 71 2bbl 350 out of a Chev Biscayne(saw the video of it running in the car before being pulled) .<<
>>the crank bearings are in great shape. I'm hoping to get away with polishing the crank, new bearings,<<
If the bearings are in great shape, why do you need to replace them and polish the crank????


>>There's still cross hatch in the cylinders and all the crank bearings are in great shape. I'm hoping to get away with polishing the crank, new bearings, new rings and a very light hone in the cylinders for the bottom end.<<

You pulled the heads and can see the crosshatch at the top of the cylinders or used a borescope. A very light hone is needed because?
A 300,000 mile engine will still show crosshatch at the bottom of the bore.

To me that 350 sounds like a money pit, with gains proportional to $$$$$$

Either run it in as is or play with the 250.