Great info - thanks everybody who contributed and I love hearing that others are thinking along the same lines - if anybody can dig up that compact mac thread i'd love to learn more -

EDIT - I found several images of people working on compacts and getting LCDs in there and that is pretty !@%! cool!

http://www.cubeowner.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=9962

http://www.cubeowner.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/1277/cat/500/ppuser/4773

http://www.cubeowner.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/1276/cat/500/ppuser/4773

And another one

http://www.instructables.com/id/Upgrade-your-original-1984-Macintosh-to-run-OS-X-S/

And double wow - company that sells a LCD assembly kit for the SE's

http://www.nextro.com/nextro/english/i30.html