95 Sonoma intake gasket leak-Now bearing knock!!

[Spencer 4-hire]

My father-in-law is the original owner of a 95 Sonoma V-6 truck with 68k miles. Last month a shop discovered that his intake was leaking coolant into the engine and charged a small fortune for the repair.

Right after this a bearing knock developed. He says it knocks under a load when accelerating and it also gets worse after the engine heats up to normal temp. From these symptoms we are trying to determine if this is a rod or a main bearing knock.

What is the least painful fix for the problem? Can it be done without pulling the engine by just dropping the pan and installing a set of bearings?

To have a new replacement motor installed is about $4500, and the book value on the truck is just over $6000, so this option does not make sense.

What would you do if this were your truck?

Your thoughts are appreciated. Thanks! -Spencer