advice from the experienced

[Mr. Lee]

so is that a good subject to schmooze some info from you guys/gals?

Being the new guy here, i'm not sure if this is the right place to post this or not. I'm not a newbie to the site, just a newbie to posting. i've been a guest for a little while quietly reading your posts.
BACKGROUND INFO
I am currently undergoing a project car. i am looking for an 84-90 lx or gt 5.0L I know a little about them from my buddies, but just enough to be dangerous. (all of them except one TA guy who just completed a nice LS1 conversion on his 86 TA.)

In an effort to be a tightwad, i am looking for some places to buy crate engines. A used or rebuilt engine would also work fine. However, i would like to compare prices on a turn-key built engine vs. buying a used or rebuilt engine and building it to what i like. (IE: head and cams, ecu upgrade, port/polish, headers, etc...) my plan is to build the engine while keeping the one in the car there until the "new" one is finished, then swapping it out when completed. Any recommendations on sources for either crate, used or rebuilt from experience?

Any other input you have would be welcome!

TIA...