[jims69camaro]

fix what you have before you start thinking about exotic motor swaps.

swapping the motor is not going to raise the car's reliability by itself. there are too many variables to say i'm going to drop in a X motor and not have to ever worry about the car. lots of people have been in the situation you're in now and they find out it's much cheaper and easier to fix what you have. besides, it sounds like good money chasing the bad. what will you do with the motor you have now? mothball it?

it sounds like you are looking for an easy way out. swapping a motor in when the motor you have is more than capable of filling your needs seems silly. stop trying to find the easy way out and fix your car. once it's running reliably, then think about swapping motors because then you will most likely have the base of experience to get yourself out of a jam. but if you keep jumping from this idea to the next without ever getting your hands dirty, then you're not really learning anything.