That could be part of the problem

The donor car I bought cost $605 total. $375 for the car, $135 for the auction fees and $100 to Ron for the tow. I feel it was definately right to buy a whole car cause I had all the parts that I would ever need. If you just buy just an engine and trans, you'll find that you have to fabricate motor mounts or buy a subframe, you'll need the VATS module and fuel pump module, ect. Lots of "extra" stuff to aquire.

The salvage auction is held by Copart which has many facilities. It would not be in the budget to have a car shipped from MA so you might want to get friendly with a used car dealer that has an auction license.

The whole procedure was primarily a bolt-in and moderate wiring endeavor. You will need some non-standard tools such as an engine lift. We actually borrowed one ourselves. If there wasn't the delay with the paint, we probably could have completed it in 3-4 weekends.

Note: My 90 already had provisions for the torque axis mount however my 89 parts car did not. You would have to measure accurately and do some welding to accomidate the mount in your car.

id keep the 89 and save for a ssei also. unless the 89 needs some major work thats hidden from the very nice exterior.

Well actually, co-part has a location only about 4 hours away from me in Minnessota. Is there anyway to check inventory for specific locations without paying them? I'm sure there are auto auctions around here since I do live in a larger city. Will any 97+ h-body do for the swap? Regardless, I will keep an eye out for something that may do the trick. Do you think the wiring chart you made would be accurate for '89 as well?

Maybe in July I will drive her down to ohio for b-fest '06 and have a crew of 20 or so 3800 guru'* do the swap in 3 hours and pimp out my new L67.

And L27: The transmission is brand new in my 89, and I can easily see the LN3 breaking 300,000 with regular maitenence. So unless something completely out of the blue happens, it should be fine.

"Nothing is cheaper than the car you already own." That'* the old adage my parents used to tell me. At the very least, keep driving this car and save for an SSEi. The biggest problem us gearheads run into when seeking performance is a lack of patience. Be willing to wait and save money, and you'll make a smarter purchase in the long run.

I know you already ruled out a turbo.... but it'* really the best way to add power.
I bought my turbo and parts for about $1500..... the labor is the killer.
If you don't abuse (race) the car that often your tranny should be "ok". You've got a lot of miles, so it might fail soon anyways.
My old 1/4 mile was 16.8.... stock expect 17.3.... I'm done to 15.2 right now.