5.3L-swapped 240sx Keeps It Simple and Lets Its Tires Do the Talking

By Daud Gonzalez - July 17, 2019

Sometimes the best LS-swap is the one best kept basic and bulletproof.

So many people set out to build a project car and never finish it. It’s easy to lose sight of the goal itself and get wrapped up in the details for so long you don’t even remember why you started building the car in the first place. This especially happens with engine swaps and the LS is no exception. Even though there is a variety of kits and conversion packages to help you, it never is exactly a straight forward project.

However, even when the project is running and good to go, lots of people refuse to go to the track because they need this or that and never end up going. Sometimes its just best to get out there and send it, because cars come and go, but what you learn during seat time is the only thing that lasts forever. This 5.3L-swapped 240sx featured on the Hoonigan YouTube channel is exactly about that: less talk, more drifting.

5.3 LS S14 240SX Drift Car

This car is owned by Pro-Am driver Jon Shaffer and he knows how to make an entrance. Most people on the Hoonigan channel will first have a nice conversation about their cars with the host and then will proceed to shred some tires. Shaffer prefers the chit-chat after and proceeds to start the episode with banging off the rev-limiter sideways for about 5 minutes straight. We definitely approve.

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The build that Shaffer has for his S14 is nothing crazy, just a 5.3L Vortec with a Texas Speed cam, Melling oil pump, and the ISR swap kit. The motor makes 386 WHP on a standalone Haltech ECU. Those are relatively modest numbers for a 5.3 LS that sounds as crazy as this one does. Watching the video, you can clearly see that this 240 is far from lacking any power. He says its sound is thanks to the three-inch header-back titanium exhaust.

Shaffer also is running a stock rear-end with the T56 transmission with an FX400 Clutchmasters clutch. We will echo this article’s earlier sentiment, your car doesn’t need to be setting world record dyno numbers or have every forged billet piece imaginable before you can enjoy it. LS-engines are good for a reason, get out there and get a little crazy.