Am I justified in my frustration?

Looks like it's about time to let it go. For $250, you've got plenty of parts. It'll just take some elbow grease to get them to usable condition. Were you misled? Maybe so, but you sure as hell should've done a better job inspecting the parts before dropping the cash. Lesson learned - it's happened to all of us.
I agree. I have accomplished what I wanted. I know he’s seen the thread.