[V8] Dilemma

[urq]

... to which I always say, to each their own.

I had a coworker who bought a Corvette that went backwards into a wall and 
one that went forward into a wall and then join the two straight pieces ... 
ISTR that the front and back halves were from different model years ... but 
he did a great job and the car looked fine.  To my mind there's a lot less 
concern about bolting another engine up to a transmission that it will 
attach directly to than to embark on the major cutting and welding that 
would be required to graft two cars together, but thatat may well be because 
I've never needed to do any serious body work.

You prefer the 20vI-5T ... that's cool ... I like it too, but as reported 
here before I have direct experience with two separate 20vTs, one chipped 
... and I'll take the off the line torque of the PT any day of the week. 
Got a chance to break tires free from a quick start from a stop sign 
yesterday ... the tire sound added to that of the V8 engine pushed the right 
buttons for me!  Frankly I would not buy any arguments that the 20vI5T is 
any less expensive to maintain or complicated than the 32vV8 ...

If you feel comfortable grafting an Avant tail onto a V8 sedan, I say good 
for you and go for it!  Far be it from me to put an audifan down for a 
project they are willing to undertake.

Steve B
San Jose, CA (USA)
>
> But the 20-valve is a different animal.  Having had a really good running
> 200 10-valve Avant, and now a really good running 20-valve Avant, I can't
> imagine why anyone would want to  try to put a V8 into a 20-valve.
>
> My 20-valve is easily as fast and as strong as my 4.2 litre V8 was, and it
> is not even near to what it could be if I wanted to put another grand into
> the intake and exhaust.  As it is, it is PLENTY.
>
> So, other than a lot more complexity and a lot more maintenance issues, 
> what
> would be really gained by shoehorning a V8 into a 20-valve Avant.  The 
> five
> cylinder engine will apparently run easily past 250,000 miles, and while 
> the
> V8 will probably run as long, it will cost about twice as much to maintain
> it over the same number of miles.  And in the meantime, assuming the same
> level of performance from the chipped 20 Valve as the V8, aside from about
> three to five miles per gallon more fuel, what else does the V8 yield?
>
> I think that modifying a 20 valve wagon with an engine swap is working on
> the wrong end.  I would rather graft the Avant rear end onto a V8 sedan, 
> if
> there is no cure for the eight cylinder craze.