For an easy no fuss swap, dump the L82 & pick up a healthy mid 2000's LA1 engine. There is a noticeable difference in the two engine's output. An aftermarket or reground cam will wake up the engine even moreso. Porting & polishing both the heads & the intake assembly adds to the performance.
The L82's were stricken with the small dia exhaust, all LA1 engines were 2 1/2" at the downpipe.