92 C1500 Swapping to L31 350 Vortec Coolant Bypass Question

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5SPD350

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I'm in the midst of swapping a carbed L31 Vortec 350 into my 92 C1500. It currently has a L05 350 TBI. The L31 Long block that I have does not have the coolant bypass on the passenger side where the water pump mates up. I plan to use my stock TBI accessories, including the water pump.

How should I route the coolant?

1.) leave it with no hole there, use my TBI water pump, and hook up the heater hoses as they are normally? Will the TBI water pump leak if it has that bypass port in it, but the block doesn't and has no where to flow into?

2.) Same as above, but drill small holes in the thermostat?

3.) Drill the hole out for the bypass in the block?

4.) Use the nipple in the drivers side of the stock tbi water pump and route a hose to the carbed intake manifold? Not sure how that would effect how the heater hoses would have to be routed.

Would like to do this the best way possible as I obviously don't want cooling issues.
 
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