It appears my saga has finally concluded, so I figured I would give an update. I had the engine replaced with a stock remanned 350 (different shop; the first guy couldn't do it because his engine swap guy was having health problems).
Had to take it back in immediately for various leaks (coolant leak at intake gasket, oil pan gasket leak due to re-using the old oil pan, valve cover leak) and a bad starter (the old starter).
About 100 miles in, the new engine started making more noise than the old one, so I took it back in to have the valves adjusted. Two of the push rods were bent. Got those replaced under warranty.
She's purring like a kitten now. Only lingering issue is the idle appears to be set a little too high. Maybe I'll try adjusting that myself - might be a good learning opportunity for me.
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