After I figured out the factory block was junk it was time to get it out of there.
Got the Block out and … a little while later, I had the tranny out as well. I then borrowed a bare block, head and manifolds for the mock up process. Since so little was online about this swap, I thought it was best to make sure it would all fit before I was to committed to swapping in a SBC. It’s also easier to work with.