Re: V8 Head Please!

[CLIFFORD ILKAY <clifford_ilkay@dinamis.com>]

At 09:26 PM 8/12/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi folks,
>   Well, I think I have a handle on this situation finally! The dealer
>will not buy the car and can't find anybody to buy it who doesn't want to
>steal it. An engineer from the list came to check out some of the used
>cars with me today and also checked out my car. He agreed that fixed it
>was in much nicer shape than some of those he saw in Washington, where he
>is visiting from. He was nice enough to take pictures to share with Q
>listers in the NW club and with MAX-AVS who offered $3500-$4000 sight
>unseen. I figure I can sell it to Max or one of you other guys for $4000
>unfixed or fix it and sell it for like $9000 since it's in nice shape. I
>stand to gain a thou by fixing it. I also might keep it since i forgot how
>nice it was, but really would rather get the 92 100 CSQ and put in a TAP
>chip. Way less headaches. I think it's a car rather than a hobby. 
>   BTW I drove a 200TQ that they had on the lot for $7995. Even with
>150,000 miles it is really one hell of a car. I just have learned my
>lessons with exotic Audis. i just want a nice, sane, AWD, safe car.I guess
>thats why they make 100CSQ 5spds. 
>   If anybody can sell me a head for my car please let me know. Dave, the
>lister said that he knew of a car in Seattle with an engine fire that
>might have a decent head despite the fire.
>Best,
>Larry

Hi Larry,

According to the article which compared the 1990 V8Q and the BMW M5 in
either Road & Track or Car and Driver back in 1989 or 1990, the V8 used a
pair of Golf GTI heads (a good example of object reuse:). Anyway, I have no
idea how much Golf GTI heads go for but it might be worth a shot especially
since there are so many aftermarket heads on the market.

I have been reading your comments about V8s and while I sympathize with
your plight about the broken timing belt, I do not agree with your
characterization of the cars as being dysfunctional. The V8 is *not* a
mainstream car by any stretch. It is essentially a hand built exotic with
all that it entails, good and bad. Any car of that caliber like the MB 6.3,
the MB 400E, the M5 all require significant sums of money for care and
feeding. The big difference is that the V8 can be purchased for fraction of
the cost of the cars mentioned above.

The Turbo Audis are fine cars no doubt but most that I looked at around the
same vintage as my car, would be called "beaters" almost anywhere but the
Third World. The few that are in decent shape sell for the same kind of
money or more than a V8. The Turbo might be quicker than a V8 but so what?
I used to have a 1970 454 cubic inch/390hp ragtop Corvette which could
out-accelerate most things on the road. Stock, it could run a quarter mile
at 13.66 sec.@105 mph. Does that make it a better car? All cars are a
matter of compromises. My old Corvette sacrificed refinement for raw power.
My V8 sacrifices raw power for refinement. By the way, the V8 has all the
components that most hot rodders would love to have in their engines with
forged connecting rods and pistons, overhead cams, and the like. The V8 is
about half the displacement of the Chev 454 but it can drive by a few gas
stations whereas my old Corvette never met a gas station that it did not
like:)

Clifford Ilkay
1990 V8Q black/black