[V8] Engine swaps! OHHH, I'm breathing hard!!!!

[Roger Woodbury]

I have long wondered about stuffing a 3.6 litre V8 into a C4 Avant.  Since
we conveniently own a C4 Avant, I am well aware of that car, how it runs,
what it does and does not do well, and the simple fact that there is nothing
that the 12 valve 1994 100CS Avant needs that can't be corrected with about
70 more horsepower.

I was mulling this over the other day as I was adding oil.  The car uses
around a quart of oil every third thankful, which translates into 900-1100
miles.  Considering the car has 150k on it since, new, that isn't "using"
oil.

However, this winter I have noticed that the car's fuel mileage has begun to
drop off just a tad.  It hasn't been extremely cold so there should be no
real reason why fuel mileage should have dropped below the former normal
21-22 for general driving, unless the engine is getting a bit tired.  That
could happen, but we also have not been driving quite as far regularly also,
so perhaps there have been just a tad more 4-5 mile runs than before.

When the car visits the wrench next time, it might get a compression leak
down test just to see....

We have made a commitment to keep this car indefinitely.  It needs very
little to be "as new"...it really does need a new sunroof seal, and that
friggin' plastic panel above the mirror rattles when it is very cold, and I
know a dab of glue will fix it next spring.  The car needs to have some new
plastic trim along the doors and be repainted, which is really first on the
list, and when I replace the tires, I will NEVER EVER EVER buy Fusion tires
again.  (read:  LOUD, VERY LOUD).  Other than that, the car is good for
another 150K, which might well mean that we will never have to buy another
Avant.

BUT:  if the engine is getting tired, I am seriously thinking that a V8 is
just the ticket.  They are around, and once the engine was sitting there on
a stand, it would be easy enough to completely reseal the thing,, and even
do the top end if it even hinted at needing it.  Oh, sure:  a 4.2 could
work, too....depends just on which one was easiest, quickest and cheapest.
I'd likely buy the who car since I have a V8, and if the car itself was
there, there might be some parts to scavange....

So, I am guessing that it is going to cost ten to twelve grand to do the
entire swap, rolling out the door. That is I would pay John the Mechanic
that much to do the swap, and make the car dependable right.  So the debate
would be, do we do THIS swap, or buy something newer?  We like the C4 we
have...the Euro lights are already installed.  We know the car well, and the
carcass isn't rusting out.  It is tight as a tick except for that little
plastic rattle, and exise tax and insurance premiums are as low as they can
go in this state.  Aside from more airbags, I am not sure what a newer A6
at$20 grand will do for us that the old girl with seventy more horses won't
do just as well.

Oh, engine swaps!  Makes me breathe hard!  (or maybe it's just that I just
watched the girl skaters....)

Roger