Type 4 build cost, educate me Options

[chrisg]

OK, I've searched and I'm tired of going through old threads so excuse me if this has been done too many time before.
I've been here for a while off and on and really hope to have time to get my car back on the road some day while I still have reflexes and my wits about me so I can drive. I am constantly thinking about how I will build it. I need more counseling in the motor department. Educate me again about what it is that make building a type 4 cost so damn much? I see where parts are becoming scarce and there is the usual machining and balancing to be done and maybe I am ignorant to building an aircooled VW motor, but damn!
I'd love to keep my car with an aircooled motor, be it VW or Porsche (fantasy), but I also want torque and hopefully FI (carbs seem so archaic, not to mention all the ethanol problems we experience; my carbed motorcycles hate the crap, I'm tied of cleaning jets!)
A six is very alluring, but every thread tells me it is out of my budget and I really am OK with keeping the Type 4. A 2056 w/ fi cam (most likely built by McMark) is really my most likely route but wonder if the cost vs. satisfaction will be there. A 2270 sounds more tempting to me, but then there is the fi problem (cost)
My real question is why does even the 2056 cost so damn much? or am I just not realizing how bitchin' a $5-6K 2056 w/factory fi will be. I've only driven my GA 2.0 w/ l jet, and it was foot on the floor slow.
I keep going back to the Suby conversion at that point but it just seems wrong and the radiator set ups I've seen just don't sit well with me.
Keeping it aircooled just seems like the right thing to do. Am I just being cheap?

[Trekkor]

A six is very alluring, but every thread tells me it is out of my budget

People will tell you it's $10k plus. It's not.

Find a good running motor and the conversion is an additional $2k.
I've done it for $4k.


carry on...


KT

[Rand]

A six is very alluring, but every thread tells me it is out of my budget

People will tell you it's $10k plus. It's not.

Find a good running motor and the conversion is an additional $2k.
I've done it for $4k.


carry on...


KT

Oh, but it is. Any six you really want is going to be way more than $4k. Hey Trek, how much have you spent on that six since the first $4k? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif)

Chris, what is your budget?

[chrisg]

Chris, what is your budget?

$5-6k for a complete, running motor (short block built by someone other than me) if it would be a happy, long lived , fun, motor with my existing L- jet would be fine. But I do want torque. I like torque for the street. I'm not a big hp guy, I've actually learned over the years on the track and street, with cars and bikes, that I probably have more (and safer) fun with lower powered stuff. But I do like torque especially on the street where you can't run crazy corner speed sanely all the time.
As a small business guy I totally understand labor costs, overhead, and things taking longer to do than the uniformed might think it does, but I was still looking to explain to myself why this humble little motor that gets picked on so much for it's VW heritage still costs this much to build. Just uneducated about what it takes to build them and as always, probably wanting more than I can afford.
Just always trying to tell myself that staying with the Type 4 is the way to go.