Ryan's LSX Swapped 77' 280z Build

This build was officially our first completed, start to finish LS swap Z car we did in house. We have been around several LS swapped Z cars through-out the years our company has been operating, but up until recently, we have never had control of a complete swap from start to finish until now. We had the luxury of doing two LS swaps at the same time, with a few variances across the 2 builds. This put us in a prime position to really nail down the parts that worked, and didn’t work, and ensure that we delivered a quality product.

Mr. Everson reached out to us back in October 2022 to initially inquire about an engine swap. We spoke in great detail about the differences between going the LS swap route, and the RB swap route. One of the defining factors was the availability of rebuilt engines and parts, as well as the amount of aftermarket support across both swap options. After a few months of discussion back and forth, we finally set on the path of a built 5.3 LSX crate engine, Tremec Magnum-F 6 speed manual, the supporting mods to go with it, along with some suspension and electrical upgrades to compliment the swap. At the time, our shop was going through some systemic changes to better address the exponential growth we have seen over the last few years, as well as reduce and/or eliminate inefficiencies anywhere we could, so this contributed to a degree of delay in starting the build as we worked to get caught up.

Fast forward to July 2023, we receive the vehicle on a transport truck all the way from Oregon, and begin the work. Fortunately Mr. Everson, being the owner of a company named Matchless Builds, was very patient and understanding with our delays and policy/process adjustments, and stayed committed to us and our process through-out the entire build.

As we got into the build, we started with a fresh ATK Rebuilt Gen III 5.3L V8 engine that featured flat top pistons for higher compression, and a hefty camshaft that flows a ton of air to get it to the rated 450 crank HP and 420 crank ft/lbs of torque. The compression ratio clocked in a 10:1 compression, and it features a Summit Racing roller camshaft, with -0.550” Lift on both the intake and exhaust valves. The duration came in at 222 degrees on the intake side, and 232 degrees on the exhaust side.

Typically ATK builds these engines with #799 or #243 cylinder heads, and they feature 64cc chambers, along with 2.0” intake valves, and 1.55” exhaust valves to really keep the air moving as efficiently as possible. This engine setup had a really respectable torque curve, along with lightning quick response, and a really hefty idle lope that commands respect sitting at a stop light.

We chose to compliment the build with Summit Racing valve covers, timing cover, and an ICT billet valley cover, all powdercoated in-house with a nice textured red. We chose a Holley engine oil pan that has dimensions that compliment a wide range of adjustability given by the Dirty Dingo engine mount kit. For induction and exhaust, we chose the Fitech fabricated sheet aluminum intake manifold, a corresponding 102mm throttle body, a 3” cold air intake manufactured by the awesome crew at GRW, and a pair of CX Racing Datsun LSX Swap long tube headers. We have found in our experience the CX Racing headers fit the best out of any swap option we have personally had our hands on so far. The final piece of the puzzle for the exhaust was the custom fabricated 3” exhaust system that Caleb diligently fitted and pieced together. It features a custom y-pipe setup that compliments exhaust flow, as well as the frame rail and unibody design to account for the best ground clearance we can provide. The final piece of the puzzle is a 1320 fujitsubo style muffler that gives it the traditional JDM look, but provides an authentic “Heartbeat of America” sound track.

Next on the to-do list was the drivetrain and suspension. We set him up with a Tremec Magnum-F 6-speed manual gear box provided by Deidrich’s Motorsports down the street from us. They have a large warehouse full of Tremec products, and it only made sense to not only support a local business, but support a Texas business, which we take great pride in. We built a custom driveshaft to attach his Tremec gearbox to the factory R200 longnose differential. Tremec 6-speeds typically have an electronic reverse lock-out solenoid. We simplified this design with a spring-loaded mechanical lock-out. The shifter placement provided by the provided Tremec shifter initially proved to be perfect, but once we got the center console in, we realized it was contacting the front of the center console. In the interest of attention to detail, and really pushing for an OE level of fit and finish, we found a company by the name of Grannas Racing that provides machined relocation shifter modifications to Tremec shifters for the Supra community. So we sent the shifter out to them for modification, and they hit the ball out of the park. It fits perfectly, and no modifications needed to be made to the center console at all, preserving what is arguably one of the hardest pieces to find these days. We strengthened the rear differential area by installing a TechnoToyTuning front differential mount with a billet support bracket, Apex Engineered adjustable rear lower control arms, FutoFab Porsche style CV axles with billet 4340 stubs and hubs, to eliminate any potential weak points under the much higher torque load. We safety wired all of the provided hardware from FutoFab as an extra layer of security, and added the final structural bracing to the rear suspension system with a TechnoToyTuning power brace setup. Typically it is a toss up when mixing and matching manufacturers, however we were successfully able to mount the lower control arm caps and power brace with the Apex Engineered control arms by reversing their orientation, and slightly clocking the exhaust out of the way for clearance.

Mr. Everson plans on using this vehicle as an auto-cross car, so he wanted to add as much rigidity as he could while we had it here, so we added a pair of Apex Engineered front fender braces, as well as adjustable front lower control arms and tension rods to cap off the suspension portion of the build.

Lastly, rather than adapt the 46 year old factory gauges and sending units to the modern engine, Mr. Everson opted to install a complete set of Speedhut gauges with the Datsun livery, and matched mileage as a final attention to detail for the build. After the vehicle was fully assembled, it was quality control time. On all major builds, we have a minimum of a 2 week quality control period, which entails rigorously testing every aspect of the build, as well as finding any other potential failure points that could surface later down the road. When we install a fresh engine, we run it through 4 separate oil changes within the initial 500 mile break-in procedure we employ in house. This is the final step in the due diligence we provide all of our customers at GRW, in an effort to ensure all builds leaving our shop are of top-notch quality and far exceeds customer expectations.

We are very proud of this build, and during the quality control process, all of our staff members enjoyed driving this vehicle to debug, as well as get the engine fully broken in. Thank you Mr. Everson for being an awesome client, and patient with us as we got your build to the finish line.

If you’re reading this article and would like to have us build your Z car in a similar fashion, please reach out to us directly via phone or e-mail for a consultation and estimate.

ENGINE SPECS

DRIVETRAIN SPECS

EXTERIOR/Interior SPECS

  • TechnoToyTuning Front Wilwood Big Brake Kit

  • Eibach Lowering Springs

  • Apex Engineered Front Adjustable Lower Control Arms

  • Apex Engineered Front Adjustable Tension Control Rods

  • Apex Engineered Rear Adjustable Control Arms

  • Apex Engineered Weld-In Fender Braces

  • TechnoToyTuning Front Strut Tower Tri-Brace

  • TechnoToyTuning Rear Strut Tower Brace

  • TechnoToyTuning C-Pillar Brace

  • TechnoToyTuning R200 Power Brace w/ Billet Control Arm Caps

  • ST Suspension Front and Rear Sway Bar Kit

  • MSA Type 1 Air Dam

  • Blacked Out 240z Style Front and Rear Bumpers

  • TechnoToyTuning Tow Hooks

  • Hella Supertone Horns

  • Rota Grid 16x8 Wheels

  • Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Tires [P225/60/16]

  • Speedhut Datsun Livery Gauges [Complete Set]

Photography Credit : Instagram.com/zeonphotos

Built By : Instagram.com/walebwalker


Christopher Miller