Sorry I know, old thread....
My advice would be, if you decide on a crate engine, it should pretty much be the last thing you purchase. The reason is, engine technology keeps getting better, and its true for buicks, but maybe not so much for SBC, that cams and manufacturing, and rockers and things are always improving. So if you buy it now, and end up sitting on it for a couple years more the technology will be obsolete and too expensive.
If you buy it last, the engine will be a great deal and produce great power for that time. I know this because I have a few stalled projects sitting around, and the technology is outdated and theres new and better things available now. Or things that were great technology then and expensive, have become cheaper.
The biggest thing I have done to help me with my stalled projects is make a plan. I keep a spreadsheet (paper and pens works too), and just write down stuff I need to do to get the car running. In no particular order. They have to be small things, realisticly doable in a sitting. So dont write "install engine", be specific "clean engine bay, paint engine bay, fix power steering leak, etc..."
When you think you have it covered, number the steps in a certain order. Then chip away at it one step at a time. It keeps you from getting overwhelmed because you are tackling little steps at a time, and actually progressing. Helps with motivation too.
So my advice would be, dont buy the engine (big expense) until youre ready to install it. Now if its a question of money now vs money later, then it may be a reasonable idea to buy it now. But the way I see it, you need to prep the car to recieve the engine before you get to that step, which is not all that difficult. Clean it up, find a 12V source, figure out your mounts and driveshaft, and have at it.
Good luck with it and keep your chin up. It gets better once winter passes 🙂.
My advice would be, if you decide on a crate engine, it should pretty much be the last thing you purchase. The reason is, engine technology keeps getting better, and its true for buicks, but maybe not so much for SBC, that cams and manufacturing, and rockers and things are always improving. So if you buy it now, and end up sitting on it for a couple years more the technology will be obsolete and too expensive.
If you buy it last, the engine will be a great deal and produce great power for that time. I know this because I have a few stalled projects sitting around, and the technology is outdated and theres new and better things available now. Or things that were great technology then and expensive, have become cheaper.
The biggest thing I have done to help me with my stalled projects is make a plan. I keep a spreadsheet (paper and pens works too), and just write down stuff I need to do to get the car running. In no particular order. They have to be small things, realisticly doable in a sitting. So dont write "install engine", be specific "clean engine bay, paint engine bay, fix power steering leak, etc..."
When you think you have it covered, number the steps in a certain order. Then chip away at it one step at a time. It keeps you from getting overwhelmed because you are tackling little steps at a time, and actually progressing. Helps with motivation too.
So my advice would be, dont buy the engine (big expense) until youre ready to install it. Now if its a question of money now vs money later, then it may be a reasonable idea to buy it now. But the way I see it, you need to prep the car to recieve the engine before you get to that step, which is not all that difficult. Clean it up, find a 12V source, figure out your mounts and driveshaft, and have at it.
Good luck with it and keep your chin up. It gets better once winter passes 🙂.
Told the Ole'Lady she needs to buy me a Walker > Maybe deck it out with some tennis balls and have races with my 94 year old grandma... 
) Good and/or bad when the time for "First start-up" comes
