LS-swapping a Datsun 240Z: what it really costs, part by part

A small-block V8 in a Datsun Z is an old idea. In the 1970s it was a Chevy 350; today it's GM's aluminum LS. The appeal is simple: it's compact, it's light for a V8, it makes far more power than the original six, and parts are everywhere. The question most owners actually have is what it costs, so we priced it.

Every price below is from the linked listing or product page on October 11, 2026. Used engine prices change daily, and two parts in the budget build were out of stock or discontinued when we checked, so treat this as a map, not a quote.

Pick the engine first

• Used 5.3 or 4.8 truck engine. The cheapest way in. A used 5.3 LM7 ran $575 to $1,700 on eBay, plus $300 to $450 freight to a business address. A 4.8 LR4 ran $600 to $2,300 for a complete dropout. Truck engines come with a deep front-sump pan and tall accessories that have to change for a Z.
• Used LS1 and T56 from a 1998-2002 Camaro or Firebird. The easiest route, because the low F-body pan and the six-speed come with it. Dropouts ran from $6,395 (a 2002 Camaro with 86k miles and a run video, free freight) to $9,999.99.
• New long block. Summit's remanufactured 5.3 rated at 450 hp is $3,949.99, but it's a bare long block: no intake, throttle body, pan, covers, water pump, balancer, flywheel or computer. Dressing it adds several thousand dollars.

Our Donor cars page for the Z lists the cars these engines come from, with what a pullout usually includes.

The Z-specific parts

• Engine mounts. Dirty Dingo's adjustable mounts ($179.99) bolt to the stock crossmember and slide about 3 inches fore and aft, but they require the 1998-2002 Camaro oil pan. CX Racing sells mounts with headers for $1,151.10, or mounts, headers and a Y-pipe for $1,502.10. Its listings don't itemize what's in the box, so ask.
• Headers. CX Racing S30 LS headers are $820.28 on their own. Headers, the steering shaft and the alternator are where owners report clearance fights.
• Oil pan. If you don't have an F-body pan, Holley's 302-2 swap pan ($499.95) fits anywhere the F-body pan does, according to Holley.
• Transmission. The T56 is the usual choice, but buy an F-body, GTO or CTS-V unit. Corvette T56s are rear-transaxle style and Mustang Cobra T56s have a Ford bellhousing; both were the cheap standalone T56s on eBay the day we looked. A new Tremec TKX five-speed is $2,895 without bellhousing or yoke. A used 350Z CD009 six-speed starts around $1,400, but needs an LS adapter such as G Force's ($1,130). The S30 mount kits we found are sold for the T56.
• Wiring and computer. A standalone harness that reuses the stock computer is about $78 delivered, plus a tune to remove the factory anti-theft. PSI's harness and controller kit is $1,099, and Holley's Terminator X for cable-throttle LS1s is $1,599.95.
• Fuel. An LS wants about 58 psi. A 255 lph inline pump and a Corvette-style filter/regulator ($55.98 to $88.98) is the simple returnless setup. The stock Z tank isn't baffled for fuel injection, so plan for a sump or in-tank pump.
• Cooling. The Z Store's aluminum crossflow radiator ($497.87) is sold as suitable for most V8 conversions, but its included hoses won't fit a V8.
• Driveshaft. Z Car Depot's custom aluminum driveshaft is $579, built to your length; it was out of stock when we checked.
• Speedometer. The T56 sends an electronic speed signal and the Z's speedometer is cable-driven, so plan on electronic gauges or an interface like the Dakota Digital SGI-100BT ($128.25).

The rear end is the real question

Early 240Zs have the small R180 differential. Most V8 Zs move to an R200 from a later Z, ZX or 300ZX, which needs a different mustache bar on R180 cars (Kameari's was unavailable when we checked). Silvermine's CV axle kit ($356) puts 300ZX turbo CV shafts on an R200, with weld-on brackets; Silvermine warns against hard drag launches and lowering more than an inch. At the top end, Techno Toy Tuning's R200/R230 rear conversion is $4,100, and you supply the donor diff, CVs and hubs. We couldn't find published torque limits for the stock diffs and halfshafts, so ask the builder before you count on them.

Two builds, added up

Budget: junkyard LS1 and T56, about $10,000 in parts

• 2002 Camaro LS1 and T56 dropout: $6,395.00
• Dirty Dingo mounts: $179.99
• CX Racing T56 transmission mount: $472.50
• CX Racing headers: $820.28
• Harness reusing the stock computer: $77.78
• Fuel pump and Corvette filter/regulator: $208.03
• Z Store radiator and a 14-inch fan: $595.87
• Aluminum driveshaft: $579.00
• Silvermine R200 CV kit: $356.00
• Dakota Digital speed interface: $128.25
• Toyota four-piston front caliper kit: $219.00

Total: $10,031.70. Not included: the tune, clutch hydraulics, exhaust after the headers, a donor R200, hoses, fuel lines and labor. The pump we priced is now listed as discontinued, so expect to substitute.

Nicer: new long block, Tremec and a modern rear, about $19,000 in parts

• Summit 5.3 reman long block: $3,949.99
• Holley 302-2 pan: $499.95
• Holley Terminator X: $1,599.95
• Tremec TKX: $2,895.00
• Holley clutch, flywheel and hydraulic bearing kit: $1,349.95
• CX Racing mounts, headers and Y-pipe: $1,502.10
• Fuel pump and filter/regulator: $208.03
• Z Store three-row radiator and dual fans (240Z/260Z): $619.97
• Aluminum driveshaft: $579.00
• Techno Toy Tuning R200/R230 rear conversion: $4,100.00
• Dakota Digital speed interface: $128.25
• Z Store XL four-piston front brakes with rotors: $799.87
• Z Car Depot rear disc conversion: $789.00

Total: $19,021.06. Not included: dressing the long block (intake, throttle body, injectors, coils, accessory drive), a bellhousing for the TKX, hydraulics, exhaust, the donor diff, hoses and labor. The clutch kit and CX transmission mount are sold for the T56, so confirm they work with a TKX before ordering.

Before you start

• Weight. One owner who weighed his Z on the same scale before and after went from 2,820 to 3,000 pounds, with front bias still about 49 percent. That included a new exhaust, so take it as one data point.
• Smog in California. Gas cars from 1975 and older are exempt from smog checks, which covers the 240Z, 260Z and 1975 280Z. A 1976-78 280Z has to follow the state's engine-change rules: an engine the same year or newer, all of the donor's emissions equipment, and a referee inspection. Other states have their own rules; check before you buy parts.
• Rust first. A V8 makes a rusty Z worse, not better. Fix the floors, frame rails and strut towers before the swap. Our Z chassis page lists the weak spots and the suspension kits.

Looking for the car to start with? Japanese Deal Finds lists Zs and other classics priced under recent sales.