[Critter]

There are a LOT of answers to the questions you asked. I think mainly it comes down to personal preference and what you want to do with the truck. To be honest with you, I like the actual LS car motors (LS1, LS2, LS3 etc) but I feel they are WAY over priced for what you are getting. I would much rather get a truck engine. These are the ones that don't actually start with "LS" such as the LQ4 6.0 or the LM7 5.3. Sure they weight another 50lbs or so due to being an iron block instead of aluminum, but when you are putting one in and older vehicle like our trucks does it really matter??? If you want "cheap" reliable LS fun get a complete 5.3/4L60e combo and drop it in. You could get that done for half of your LS budget if you looked in the right spot for you drivetrain. With a little tuning you have a nice 300hp driver that will treat you right for years. If you want to turn up the fun knob a little they can easily be turbo charged or supercharged up into the 550 hp range without even touching the bottom end of the engine. Ultimately the best bang for the buck is the LQ4 6.0 in my humble opinion. Keep asking questions and keep researching. It isn't as hard as you think and ALL the info is already right under your nose.