I used to think a lot about doing the 911 in Vanagon swap, but in the end it just doesn't make sense. Especially w/ premium unleaded @ ~$3.00 @ gallon. What you want in a van is bottom-end grunt, period. You're not going to win any races in a Vanagon, I don't care if it has 400 HP. (Unless you're racing other vans). They are heavy, the weight is high and they have the aerodynamics of a sail.
911 motors, wonderful as they can be, were designed to propel small, aerodynamic cars and produce torque higher in the rev range. The later and larger the 911 motor, the more bottom-end power, but really a 3.6 is the only one remotely suited, IMO. The motor that makes sense, (at least sort of), is a 996 motor. The van is already liquid cooled, and you'd have 300 hp that is no good at the track but perfect for hauling around lots of ass. Plus they are cheap to come by, lower maintanence, etc.. The problem is the conversion cost. I looked into it, and you could basically buy a slightly used 996 for the same $$. No ethical wrench will do it, they're bound by some unwritten covennent to report people who make such requests to the proper mental health authorities.
The Subaru option makes sense, but not the turbo motors. (See above paragraph). The last thing you want is excessive engine heat as a high-output turbo motor designed for rallying struggles to move a camper up a mountain. Not good.
The platform of the '80-'91 Vanagon is absolutely the best ever built for quality interior space in a movable package, IMO, but the motor is the extremely weak link. What you ideally want is a torque-y, water-cooled modern motor w/ digital management for good efficiency and gas mileage. The 150 HP n/a Subaru motor is the only one that makes sense at this time. Do a search, there is a ton of info out there on them.
Check here:
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=subaru+vanagon&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Kennedy Engineering makes everything you will need, (they are one of the first sites on that page), and the prices are reasonable. If you can do this yourself, you save a fortune. Keep us posted if you do it!
