Like BenT pointed out, it's all about the money.  SC like any good conversion shop will replace all questionable parts, like the plastic coolant tubes, radiator, starter, etc. and that drives up the cost. Folks I've talked to also end up with a few extra goodies while they are at it (wheels/tires, new canvas, in-dash A/C, suspension rebuilds, even a pain job). 

My estimates in Seattle for a rebuilt 2.2 WBX from NW Con Rod with professional installation were $4k up, depending on how many of those other parts I needed to replace.  Figure $5-$6k out the door, maybe a third the cost of a Subaru conversion.  If you have the money and the van is a keeper, it's worth it.

If you are in or near Seattle, check Eion's Automotive, Peace Vans, and North Westy for comparison, but I found them about the same, and all of these shops have excellent reputations.

You might consider joining the Yahoo! Groups list "subaruvanagon" and asking this question, as well as searching their archives.  Most folks on this list are DIYer's though.

Any conversion will require some debugging over the first few thousand miles, so pick a shop that's close!

Stuart

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Grant Johnson
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2016 6:32 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Small Car Conversions

Just wondering if anyone has any experiences to share about Subaru conversions done by Small Car? I'm in the market for a new motor for my syncro westy, and I'm trying to decide if I should have a local shop put a
2.2 waterboxer in, or pay the cash to have them put a subie in