Does anyone know where I can buy a complete or near complete 2.8L MPFI? I'm looking for a spare/play/backup engine. I've called every junk yard in my area and nobody has them. I'd like to keep my budget around $500 ish but that's not firm and I prefer the engine be in running condition but doesnt have to be perfect since I'll be playing with it.

 

Where do you live? Around here, getting such a thing can be done for under $200.

 

Reading Pennsylvania. Finding anything 3rd gen around here is proving to be rather difficult.

 

The short-block assembly from a 2.8L S-10 will work. Avoid pre-'85 versions. The heads from a Fiero 2.8L will work, they're the same as the F-car heads. Also, 3.1L and 3.4L F-car heads are the same. The Fiero guys have totally scienced-out what it takes to use the '93-'95 F-car 3.4L in place of a weak 2.8L. Fiero blocks had the starter on the wrong side, as did the FWD cars. Aluminum head versions are plentiful in the FWD cars, but you can't use those. You also can't use their deep-dish pistons, or their roller rockers.
That should get you started.

 

Thanks for the heads up, I'll start looking for 85' and older S-10's with the 2.8. I've seen several of those around. I was originally going to do the 3.1 swap, but my lack of available tools and knowledge of engine swaps has steered me away from it until I can afford to have a shop do it. As for Fiero's, they are about as hard to find around here, if not harder to find as any F-bodies.