V8 engine swaps have been a hot-rodding strategy for a long time—from the first guy that bolted a Flathead into his Model T, to the scores of diehards that amped up Pintos and Vegas in the 1970s. Nothing heats up tires like stuffing a honking V8 into an engine bay that was designed to accommodate a puny powerplant with fewer cylinders and a lot less horsepower.
While most of those Pintos and Vegas have succumbed to the rust devil over the years, you’ll probably have better luck finding other vintage models—tucked away in garages and barns—that are ready to take on a new persona with a V8 engine. As desirable rear-wheel-drive cars age and their acquisition costs drops, they become candidates for a V8 engine swap.
Nissan 240SX
The 240SX is today’s most usual suspect for a V8 engine swap, with a host of off-the-shelf aftermarket parts available from a range of manufacturers. Sikky Manufacturing builds turnkey LS installation kits for the S13 and S14 that are offered with Wiring Specialties pre-made wiring harness combos, customized for specific installs. The complete Sikky LS series swap kit is engineered for the T-56 transmission, and includes an aluminum race oil pan, remote mount oil filter kit, engine and transmission mounts, driveshaft, headers, and power steering lines.
Mazda Miata MX-5
The first generation (NA) Miata has a curb weight just under 2,100 pounds, while the second gen (NB) tips the scales at roughly 2,350 pounds. The original 1.6 and 1.8 liter inline fours put out a paltry amount of horsepower. Dropping a relatively stock V8 into a Miata can easily double the horsepower output. You’ll hit a triple with some tweaks. Boss Frog’s Miata Venom V8 kit is designed to use GM’s LS series V8s, mated to the Borg Warner T56 six-speed manual transmission, with a Ford 8.8 differential out back. Kit components include engine subframe, transmission mount, differential subframe, axles, driveshaft, clutch hydraulics, headers, and power steering rack.
Mazda Miata
Datsun 240/260/280Z
Comb the eBay Motors listings on any given day and the evidence is clear; Datsun Z engine swaps have been popular for more than three decades. Broken Kitty sells a raft of components, including transmission crossmembers, driveshafts, headers, speedometer drive units, radiators, fuel pumps, and air conditioning compressors/mount kits to accommodate a LS engine under the Z car’s hood.
Volvo Wagon
Need to get the groceries in a hurry? Stuff a V8 into a 700 Series Volvo wagon. Jags That Run offers a Stealth Conversions V8 motor mounting kit for the Volvo 700 that includes steel engine brackets, aluminum adapter plates—bolt onto the OEM cross member—and rubber isolators, along with a transmission cross member. It’s a family hauler that really hauls.
Volvo wagon
Mazda RX-7
While rotary engine fans shudder at the thought, the RX-7 is ripe for a V8 swap. Granny’s Speed Shop offers a wide range of conversion parts for the first (’79-’85), second (’86-91), and third (’93-’95) generation RX-7. They can accommodate a 5.0 Ford or 340/360 cubic inch Mopar engine, as well as the Chevy small block and GM LS-series V8s.
Is life really better with a V8? The list of potential V8 Swap candidates goes on and on, from Jaguar XJs and BMW 3-Series, to Chevy S10s and Pontiac Fieros. The big trick? Start with a roller that has minimal rust. If you want to start from scratch, look for a car with OEM engine issues that someone needs to unload, work out a sweet deal, and haul it away.
