[Ryder]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I'll be seriously looking at aftermarket parts for all the options, seeing what gives the best bang for buck! I thought the LS2 might be a better engine due to it producing slightly more power stock, and might be more desirable down the track due to it being associated with HSV's. But it seems like it may not be the best option.

I heard the late model VE L98's have some kind of cylinder shutdown mode to save fuel? Sounds like it might be a pain, probably not a big problem, but I'm a fan of the KISS way of doing things at times.

I did look very seriously at buying a whole wrecked car, here are the pros and cons as I see it:

Pros - Might save a grand or two, would be able to use bits and peices and adapt stuff from the wreck that i'd otherwise have to buy. And I'd be able to use it as a referance for how all the wiring looms run standard.

Cons - Manual VE V8's don't come up that often in driving range. In the last 2 months I've seen 2 suitable ones, one was a few hundred km away, which makes it hard to inspect before auction. Online auctions are a possibility, but one car came up on wednesday - they wanted me to pay a $500 membership fee before I could bid online! Then, assuming I got one, I'd need to store it while I strip it. I'm in a rental house arranged by the company I work for (one of the perks of the job and having to move a lot), and the rental agreement specificaly says that car wrecks on the front lawn are a no-no. I could probably get away with it, but then storage space for all the bits would be an issue - there's barely enough room in my garage for the cobra, my 2 sportsbikes, my tools and workbench, welder, engine crane ect ect.
Assuming all that worked out, I'd then have to sell the leftover parts on ebay. lets face it - once the motor, box, loom, computer is gone then whats left? Interior? Hard to imagine new cars need a replacement one of them yet. Wheels? It's likely there wont be a full undamaged set. Diff, radiator, doors, other panels? Maybe, assuming no damage to them and assuming someone wants them.
Finally theres the problem that I don't have a lot of free time (2 kids under 5, a wife and a full time job that involves going away a lot). Stripping, selling and storing parts might be time better spent just getting the parts from the wrecker and working with them straight away.

So to summarise - a wrecker could give me exactly what I need and take the hassle out of it, but I'll pay a grand or two more.

Though this is the cheapest wrecker I've found for this stuff by FAR, several others want 6K+ just for the engine loom and computer