[Wasted Income]

It will be close. I think to hit your $3k goal, you will have to either cut corners, or find some incredible deals.

Hate to burst your bubble, but I'd hate to see you get stuck or have it snowball into credit card debt.

That said, I think you'd be VERY pleasantly surprised with how much power a "stock" 5.3 has. It will make your 87 350 feel like a turd. Plus, you'll get in the game much cheaper than with a 6.0.

My first LS swap was going from a '94 350 in my 69 C-10 to a '99 5.3/4L60E. AMAZING difference....power, fuel economy, sound, looks, and ease to work on. I scored that 5.3, complete from intake to pan, with ECM, coils, accessories, wiring harness, for $500. Prices have gone up quite a bit since then (8 years ago). I just sold that same 5.3 yesterday as a long block (no accessories, coils, ecm, wiring, flexplate) for $300.

Anyway, your best bet is to find a COMPLETE take-out engine. It will *seem* to cost more up front, but tracking down all the little odds and ends is a pain in the ass. (coils, accessories, manifolds, coolant crossovers, sensors, etc).

If you can do a lot of the stuff yourself, that will also help your cause. Motor mounts, harness rework, tuning (even though you're looking at $500-700 to get in the game with EFILive + wideband). Lots of variables for sure.

I hope it works out for you, and if you pull the trigger, there's lots of smart guys on this board who've been down the road before to ask for help.

Good luck!