beware the block heater/motor swap ideas

So I recently had some terrible luck.
I was cruising down the highway when I start to hear a strange quiet ticking noise under my feet. I shut off the radio to listen and my check engine light comes on. I start pulling over and before I make it to the shoulder the tach drops to 0 and the engine quits. I pull over, jump out of the truck and pop the hood to a billowing cloud of white smoke in my face. My temperature gauge didn't tell me it was running hot, hmmm. I get the truck towed back home to my local mechanic and my buddy tells me the bolt holding my block heater in broke while I was cruising down the highway. When the block heater comes out all the coolant in the motor is pushed out the hole in about 5 to 10 seconds. He also tells me that the temp gauge will only read a liquid, so when all the liquid coolant comes out of the motor it will show it is WAY COOLER than it actually is while your motor cooks. It won't hold coolant because the heads are warped. Also there is a dirty misfire in at least one of the cylinders.

My engine was overheated and cooked before I could even stop, less than 20 seconds.

So now I need to decide if I want to rebuild the top end and hope there was no other damage.
Or
Get a motor from salvage with a questionable past.
Or
Put in something brand spanking new with all the trimmings.

I want to stick with a 3.4 v6 like the truck came with. I need some input on what my best options are and where I can get a high-po 3.4 v6

 

why not go with somethin bigger?

4L v6 maybe? or a small v8?

 

x2

 

before you go swapping engines I would put a soft plug back in the hole, fill her up with coolant and see how it goes. I would think that there is a good possibility that it's fine. My old chevy would overheat and boil a few times during the summer and I would pull over, let it cool down, start it back up and it was fine. I know the 3.4 is prone to blowing head gaskets so maybe that is all you would end up needing. No need to replace the whole engine if it's not needed.

 

I want a 3.4 5VZ-FE v6 so I don't have to change anything engine control related.

I took it to my mechanic and they went through it. It won't hold coolant because the heads are warped. Also there is a dirty misfire in at least one of the cylinders.

 

No the 3.0l pre 1995 was prone to blowing head gaskets

 

I would try rebuild it. Check the lower block for cracks and warping.

 

well damit all then

opps, my bad

 

x2 the V6 3.4L is a rock solid engine