Worth it to buy whole donor vehicle vs just engine?

[95chev-w/t-guy]

Originally Posted by suburban99

I've done 2 LS swaps. One on a 62 C10 (5.3 4L60E) bought a 2001 for $1000..removed parts I needed and sold rest for $1000. 2nd swap is a 72K10
6.0 LQ4 swap...Bought a 2002 2500HD removed engine and related parts..sold remainder for $400.00 If you have the space buy the donor...

I just bought a 2002 2500hd 6.0l 5 speed 2wd as a donor for my 84 C10, currently using it as a daily driver. Paid $2000 for it, and the way I see it if I get at least $1000 out of what's left when I'm done I'll be happy. Plus I'm getting lots of use out of it in the meantime. I agree, in my opinion, get the donor. Especially if it can be driven, otherwise itll be a big ??? until the day you get it running. If you drive it for a few weeks/months first you'll know exactly what you have.