You're going to have to pull that motor out anyway and I'm sure your dad is curious about why it "blew". Pull it and tear it down and see what's wrong and if it's fixable. If not, find the least expensive Pontiac motor around to replace it with. 350 or 400, doesn't make that much difference. You're never going to be the fastest car ever on the planet anyway. Also if you get stuck for cash it sounds like you have some good parts that you could get by without. You may be able to sell them or trade them off to finance the new setup.