Need advice on parts and guidance

[creper]

Let me start by telling what I have going on at the moment. I have a '94 silverado with a 305 that has a little over 220,000 miles on it. I bought a '99 vortec 350 out of a 99 suburban with bad heads :.( from a junkyard for $150. I also have the whole Moates set up to make my own tune and I have a whole ecm from a '94 truck just like mine but with a 350 and all bin files that coincide with both ecm's. My goal is to basically build a stock 350 TBI with vortec heads. May end up with TBI heads.

On to the questions and situations.
I got the '99 350 (block casting number 10243880) stripped down and to the machine shop to get hot tanked and inspected along with rods, pistons, and crank. He calls me up to day to tell me that the block needs to be bored out 30 thousand's but he would try 20 first ($80 to clean and inspect it), rods were fine ($45 to clean, inspect, and to push the pin out) he told me that they were really good rods something about powered metal or something, and the crank wasn't worth turning because he would charge me more than what it would be for a new one. I'm not to sure about that because he kept telling me he would throw it away for me it wouldn't be a big deal. I felt something fishy so I said I would take it with me. Then he says that he would do the cam bearings and freeze plugs for $180 and I know I can get a tool to do the cam bearings for around $80 form Jegs or summit. So I told him Ill take care of that. I ask what the final bill will be if he dose it all it ended up being around 650-700. I told him to bore the block and Ill come get the rest.
Now last time I had a motor hot tanked it removed all the paint (not by him), when I saw my block today not all the paint was removed.

Questions...

How hard is it to install cam bearings? I can handle it I just need to know what to expect.

How hard is it to press in your own wrist pins to the piston?

What can I use on the block to get it down to bear metal?

Is he about right on his pricing? Something just don't feel right but he is the only one in town so I don't want to start crap ya know.

Can I use this block to a '94 TBI specs or to the '99 vortec specs? Because I am building a TBI 350..

I cant find vortec heads in my local junkyard (they go as soon as they hit the lot) so 99% sure I am going to run TBI heads, What is the best casting number to look for on TBI heads?

I have been told by numerous people to run a regular carb intake with a TBI adapter. Dose this work out well or cause headaches?

That should be a good start for now lol. This is supposed to be a budget build for a daily driver TBI 350 lol WTF... I'm not drag racing the dam thang I just want stock lol...

[GreaseDog]

How hard is it to press in your own wrist pins to the piston?

impossible without a rod heater to heat the small end of the rods first.

What can I use on the block to get it down to bear metal?

airplane stripper, or just about anything that removes paint.

Is he about right on his pricing? Something just don't feel right but he is the only one in town so I don't want to start crap ya know.

my machine shop charges $10 to bore and hone a cylinder. cleanup i think is $45 or $50, to resize rods, and install new pistons is like $80, cam bearings and freeze plugs are like $60 installed.

Can I use this block to a '94 TBI specs or to the '99 vortec specs? Because I am building a TBI 350..

what "specs" are you talking about? the lower end in an L31 is nearly identical to an L05

I have been told by numerous people to run a regular carb intake with a TBI adapter. Dose this work out well or cause headaches?

it works great.

[creper]

K so I don't have/can afford the tools for the rods, dam.

Cool because I don't want a shotty paint job on it.

Wow I would be more than glad to pay those prices. I'm probably going to suck it up and pay it so I know its done right I guess.

TBI adapter plate, witch one works best? I see there is mainly differences were they poshioning the bores. Would a rpm air gap work well with this type of setup?

What are the differances in the blocks?