Hello! First post here, hoping for some practical or not-so-practical advice.

I have a 2011 Cayenne 958 standard model, no frills, no turbo, just a 3.6L. The engine was not well maintained prior to my ownership and after a few good years I have detected some very bad engine knock. Confirmed by a Porsche tech that it sounds like a spun bearing and it's just a matter of time until I put a put a rod through the block or some other catastrophic failure.

I'm not going to get into the financials, suffice to say I don't want to sell the car, and I don't want a new car. I'm left with a roughly $10k budget and considerations for engine replacement or possibly even engine upgrade.
While I am an avid DIY'er, this is certainly beyond me and I'll be leaning to my Porsche tech for the lion's share of the work, he's fantastic actually (we've been building my '70 Nova from the frame up for the last few months and have developed quite a friendship).
Frankly I could bug him about this info but I'd like to come off a bit knowledgeable rather than leaning on him like a helpless baby.

Some key information I need to make some good decisions:

• Any known stashes of information on 958 engine swaps, previous projects, etc? Prelim. searches have not turned up much.
• Is the VW 3.6L engine a true swap option? I'm told it's not exactly the same, some considerations need to be taken. What are they?
• Is the 4.8L V8 upgrade a reasonable option? New harness and engine mounts I assume. What other considerations for an upgrade? Other upgrade options/motors a better route? I would be disappointed if no one's ever done an LS Swap.
• 100k mile engines are in the 3-4k range. I am ballparking labor to be about as much or a little more. Reasonable? Additional costs for replacing seals, solenoids, various "while you're in there" parts?

In a nutshell, and if the above questions are dumb in some way, just reduce it to this: You have a 2011 Cayenne standard edition with a bad engine that you need to get back on the road. You know the engine wasn't taken care of, refurbishment seems impractical and close to the cost of a replacement from a junkyard. Shortest path to success? What about most ambitious path to upgrade within reason?

Thoughts appreciated, kindness and tolerance for naivete also appreciated.