I've been researching non-stop since I posted the thread, and I am starting to see what you mean by "a dead platform." A company known as Flygas out of Italy manufactures some very nice dual port heads for aircraft, but they cost more than the whole car. Considering the huge following of the EA81 in aircraft, I would be surprised if a third party manufacturer doesn't still provide most of the essential components (including oil pumps, valves, etc.). The question is whether it is worth the expense. Not interested in an engine swap until I start having problems with the existing EA81, but maybe I'll buy a cheap pair of stock heads and practice some port work. Either way, it looks like I will need to find a parts car just to keep this thing going.
The car I'm looking to buy has an automatic, and I remember how anemic my old '81 wagon was. The '79 wagon with a EA71 was vastly superior to drive just because it had a 4-speed. That car used to get 40MPG too. Wish I still had it.