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" arm still does not move" have seen the blend door stick shut before. I have ad to open by hand and bend the rod a little so it does not close so hard.

Waiting for parts so a good time to clean and sort a bit more. Everything that came from the s/c engine is a grimy mess but the front engine cover was my main item for the near term. It cleaned up fairly well externally so I could trial fit it to the older block and that turned out to be a non-issue. It bolts up with no issue but the oil filter adapter is so different I thought maybe the cover casting was different. The filter adapter kind of curls back under the engine a bit possibly explaining the cutaway at the front of the S/C oil pan? I do not know if it will clear the stock pan until that gets here but it may be a moot point anyway. I have an oil cooler adapter that sandwiches between the filter and the adapter pushing it even further inwards. There is a plastic ring shaped splash guard that surrounds the area between the balancer and front of the engine. I imaging they felt they needed more protection for some reason and it could be added to an earlier model if desired. It just snaps on to three of the front cover bolts that have a small extension on the head of the bolt. Maybe it would be helpful keeping splash from the crank sensor area in freezing weather?? The one area that is a bit of an issue is the oil pump drive. The oil pump is similar but the drive, which is part of the timing chain assembly, has six equally spaced drive lobes that engage the oil pump gear in the front cover. The LN3 oil pump drive is two flats on the lower sprocket. This drive also contains the crank sprocket for the timing chain. It wouldn't be an issue if I could simply swap the S/C drive onto the earlier crankshaft. While it does fit the crank and the timing mark is the same, the pitch of the timing chain is quite a bit different. The later timing system uses a smaller pitched chain. If you are familiar with common roller chain, it is like #35 chain vs #41 chain on the older engine. The only solution I can see is to change the oil pump inside the front cover by installing an oil pump repair kit with the correct two flat drive.

Pondering your dilemma - thinking "what would I do?" I'd probably do lots of crazy things when it comes to considering buying another vehicle, especially like the one you referenced. But then the destruction of the thought process occurs when your better half says "what would you sell."