I bought my VIII with a blown engine, same deal, hole in the block so I didn't even have a good core to rebuild. I considered buying a 9 setup to swap, located a complete engine and ECU, and couldn't find a harness for the life of me. I didn't want to pay what a new one goes for so I found an 8 engine instead. Ended up costing alot less, car runs great, and you can always make up for the minimal power difference with a few more mods with the money you save. But if you end up finding what you need, it'll be something different so you can't go wrong either way.

 

I dont know if this makes a difference but you can use a 9 block with an 8 head. If its just the need to find a block, it could save you a ton of money instead of doing the entire swap.