Small Block Crate Engine Advice

[dagnabbitt]

Hi everyone, I have decided to bite the bullet and spend some money on a crate engine for my 81 SWB. I am not quite ready for an LS swap, and would prefer to just replace the tired old (350? 305?) engine that was in the truck when I bought it. I really did wait until the last minute, the thing has so much blowby that I installed a road draft tube at the end of last summer just so I could get it home. It uses a hilarious amount of oil.

But I digress: I have found a place in my locale that has crate engines for sale and am presently looking at the below 330HP HO. I am pretty certain I will be going with this one... but would like to know what I can expect to spend on it to get it completed. The reason why I am going with the "base" and not the "deluxe" is because I presume that a lot of the parts on the old engine can be transplanted to the new one, but I am wondering what I am getting into with this.

https://www.gmperformancemotor.com/parts/19420873.html

Or, should I be happy with a mere 308HP, and buy a motor that doesn't need anything...?

https://www.gmperformancemotor.com/parts/19421179.html


Price is in Canadian dollars, fyi.