Opinions on a small block Chevy

Grit dog wrote:
OP, please post a pic of the front of your current truck....I'm really struggling to figure what that person's vision was with that front clip!

Also, if you like the rest of the truck and it runs good and the issues are only caused by that fugly nose, parts are dime a dozen to put an original front clip back on it. Unless you don't do that kind of work, then dump it, but you wont get much money looking like that and having issues.

The pic and a little history. Here's a pic of the front after I cut all of what you see out and installed vents. Since then it has not overheated in central Florida. I bought the truck a while back in Troy PA and paid 3600 dollars for it. It's a long story I won't go into why it was so cheap. Everything worked fine up north but 8.5 years ago we got transferred to Dallas GA and then to the Orlando area where we live now. That 1/2 inch of fiberglass was literally frying the motor. So this is what I did.

Here's a pic of my finished work a couple of years ago. I had just repainted the front end as well as body work. It provides plenty of air.

I said it has two problems that have been with me since we left home in upstate NY. I had to replace the mechanical fan because with the front end as it is now after I did all the work it still was getting to hot. I installed 2 fans and relays and I was good to go.
Problem number two is that all of the wiring and everything else below and behind those new vents have been exposed to the elements, constantly not just driving. The engine wiring harness has become brittle and worn by the incredible Florida heat and humidity. This is the fourth Parasitic drain I've tracked down. This is also the fourth battery in a couple of years.
I just priced a harness on Jegs and it's about 600 bucks with probably another 400 in extra parts to finish the job. I'm 60 years old and want to run another wiring harness like I want a hole in the head. So that's all of it. I've been researching the smaller motors since you all have posted and everything you all say is backed up by the Chevy forums. Do I want to get another old truck with a whole new set of problems or change a wiring harness and go with what I got? That's my dilemma.
One more thing, With the exception of those two issues this truck is a runner, hauler and can tow anything I got to anywhere I want to go.
The boat I tow is a small Boston whaler skiff with a 25HP Yamaha outboard if it weighs 1000 pounds I'd be surprised.