Welp, I decided an LS swap just isn't going to happen this winter.
I could do it, but, it would cut into my summer budget(events and stuff).
Instead, and assuming the shortblock is fine, throw heads/cam/intake/headers on the 350, which can be done for ~$1500, including a new torque converter.
This is about $1000 less than the LS swap would cost, once you add in all the little things.
Who knows, maybe I'll depart from the past and just be happy with a quick street car to drive around for awhile.
Anyway, step 1 is rebuild the Holley, I've had the kit since I had to pull the secondary bowl when the float got stuck.
It's a generic 600CFM vacuum secondary, which should continue to be fine for my setup.
I found this right away, and I'm pretty sure I didn't do it taking it off the motor.
That rubber cap is under the bowl so I never noticed it even existed. The cap was brittle and falling apart.
I already disassembled the thing(gogo internet). In the process I found that the diaphragm for the secondaries would not hold vacuum, like at all.
Amusingly, I ordered a new one from amazon which shipped from Wisconsin and will be here tomorrow.
So, at best they were only ever partially open. I'm sure that's why it felt like it would fall on it's face.
The spring in the secondary was changed at some point in the past. I bought the different housing that lets you change the springs without pulling everything apart, too. It was a whole $18.
I probably could have just went to an autoparts store and bought one, but, I was buying some other stuff from amazon anyway.
Today my goal is to have everything cleaned up and re-assembled.
After that or tomorrow I'm going to drain the coolant and pull the head on the driver's side(since it's easier to do) to see what the walls and pistons look like.