I felt compelled to offer up an insight or two to this thread:

I've done a Subaru conversion and am looking forward to another one this
winter on my current van.  I believe what's being overlooked in this thread
is the "fun" factor of doing it yourself.  I thoroughly enjoyed the subaru
conversion process and spending time with my son throughout.  I was
impressed at the improvement that the used engine brought to the vehicle.

But the fact is...there are very few subaru conversions out there that come
out of the garage without needing at least a few adjustments here and there
down the road.  The fact that there are so many suby conversions makes it
easy to have insight into how laborious these adjustments and related
tweaks are, just read the subaruvanagon site...you'll get a bellyfull of
tweak lingo in a heartbeat!

I did overlook the cost of my time in summing up my conversion costs.
Mainly because I considered that time well spent having fun working on the
van as opposed to smoking crack or attending therapy sessions.

I take comfort knowing there is a very large support mechanism for subaru
conversions readily available and have taken advantage of that many times.
The guys on the list all have their biases and "special opinions" but are
quick to help and answer questions.  I'm not so sure that is available with
a Zetec.  And I'm guessing but would it be easy to find mechanics to work
on the Zetec/Ford engine?
I'm very impressed with the Zetec website and the idea of having a brand
new engine in my van is not without its temptations.  I haven't seen or
read much about their durability or whether convertees are experiencing the
need for tweaks and adjustments.

In any case, I'm excited to see and hear more about your Zetec conversion.
Expecially your opinions regarding performance, durability, and fuel
economy.
Best of luck,
Brent
www.weidefamily.net/vanagon/