[hgs_notes]

It's been a long, hard winter. Since the Jimmy is resting outdoors and my schedule with work, sons hockey and well, just raising a family has limited what I am willing to do on the Jimmy. But the thread is not dead.

Instead of rebuilding the short block I had, it will be used as originally planned as a stroker motor for my C-10. I found a deal on a runner 350 from a 3/4 ton chevy truck, probably about 1975 vintage. $200 and all I'm doing is cleaning it up, replacing gaskets and seals and doing a rattle can rebuild. The main reason I came to this decision was the cost of heads. Rebuilding them was going to be expensive, and I found a complete running engine for about the same cost of ready to use heads. I've got a stock GM aluminum intake, HEI dizzy (need to clean it up yet) and need to rebuild the carb yet. As it sits, the engine is partially disassembled. I'm going over today to spray on some degreaser, finish scraping the old gaskets and start reassembly.

Then it will be time to pull the Jimmy out of the weeds and snow so I can get the old engine out.

So, the $145 on the short block comes off the books puuting me at $348 to the good. I bought gaskets, seals, timing chain/gears, balancer repair sleeve, thermostat, dipstick, and some paint and degreaser for about $74 putting me at $274 ahead.