400Z Headlight Swap on a 370Z: Why Evan Shanks Did It and How the Conversion Works

The Nissan 370Z is one of the most capable modern sports car platforms Nissan has produced. It’s lightweight, balanced, and incredibly popular in drifting, time attack, and grassroots motorsports. But there’s one design element that many enthusiasts have debated for years: the headlights.

While the rest of the Z lineup—from the classic 240Z to the 350Z—shares recognizable design cues, the 370Z headlights feel disconnected from the lineage. The shape is sharp and aggressive, but it lacks the heritage-inspired styling seen in earlier generations.

When Nissan introduced the new Nissan Z (often referred to as the 400Z), that changed. The new Z’s headlights pay homage to the original 240Z with a modern interpretation of the classic shape.

Automotive creator, drift competitor and Blk Tie Detailing CEO, Evan Shanks, saw an opportunity.

Instead of replacing the entire body or reskinning the car like some race builds do, he decided to perform one of the most unique visual modifications possible:

Installing Nissan 400Z headlights onto a Nissan 370Z.

The result is a completely transformed front end that blends modern Z design with the proven 370Z chassis. This article breaks down why the swap happened, the challenges involved, and exactly how Evan built the conversion.

Why Swap 400Z Headlights onto a 370Z?

Before diving into fabrication, it’s important to understand the motivation behind the project. Evan isn’t just building a show car. His 370Z is a full competition drift car. The car features serious motorsports hardware including:

• LS3 V8 swap

• Dog box transmission

• Quick-change differential

• Fuel cell

• Full mil-spec wiring harness

• Standalone ECU management

Performance was already covered. But drifting is unique compared to other motorsports. Drifting is a spectator-driven sport, meaning style matters almost as much as performance.

Drivers compete not only with driving skill but also with car personality and visual identity. A unique build attracts attention from fans, sponsors, and social media.

Evan wanted his drift car to be:

• Competitive on track

• Visually striking in the pits

• Recognizable from across the track

He began brainstorming ways to make the car stand out.

The Moment That Sparked the Idea

The inspiration came during LS Fest East in Kentucky, where Evan competed against Taylor Hull, a former Formula Drift driver.

Hull had built a unique drift car using:

• A C6 Corvette chassis

• Completely reskinned to resemble a Monte Carlo

Seeing that level of creativity triggered a realization. Drifting allows builders to push design boundaries in ways that other motorsports rarely do. However, Evan didn’t want to reskin an entire chassis. That requires extensive fabrication and facilities. Instead, he asked a simpler question:

What small change could dramatically alter the appearance of the car?

The answer was the headlights.

Why the 370Z Headlights Don’t Fit the Z Heritage

To understand the swap, you need to look at the visual lineage of the Z platform. Classic Z design elements include:

• Rounded or flowing headlight shapes

• Horizontal visual emphasis

• Smooth front-end contours

The 370Z headlights break that pattern. They feature:

• A tall, boomerang-style shape

• Sharp vertical edges

• A design that feels separate from earlier Z models

The new Nissan Z headlights, however, intentionally reference the 240Z design with a horizontal rectangular light signature.

Evan realized something interesting: The 370Z body still works visually with this heritage-inspired headlight. By combining the two, he could create a hybrid design that looks surprisingly natural.

Buying the 400Z Headlights

Once the idea was formed, the next step was sourcing the headlights.

Evan purchased a set of Nissan Z (RZ34) headlights from eBay. Surprisingly, they were cheaper than OEM 370Z headlights, which made the project a relatively low-risk experiment. At worst, the lights could simply be resold.

But once the headlights arrived, it became clear that the swap would be far more complicated than expected.

The Biggest Challenge: Nothing Lines Up

The 400Z headlights are completely different from the 370Z headlights in nearly every dimension. Key differences include:

• Mounting points

• Width and height

• Curvature

• Bumper integration

• Fender shape

Essentially, Nissan redesigned the entire front structure for the new Z. There was only one reference point that matched between the two cars: The inner edge where the headlights meet the hood. Everything else had to be fabricated from scratch.

Step 1: Mocking Up the Headlight Position

The first step in any custom bodywork project is positioning.

Evan began by test-fitting the headlights and filling the gaps using cardboard templates. This helped visualize the final shape of the panels before committing to fiberglass work, but he headlights moved too much during mockup. If he could redo the process, he says he would hard mount the headlights first before doing any bodywork. This lesson became critical later in the build.

Step 2: Fabricating Custom Headlight Mounts

Because the mounting points didn’t align with the 370Z chassis, Evan built custom brackets to hold the headlights in place. These mounts didn’t need to be perfect initially. They only needed to keep the headlights in the correct position to prevent them from shifting during fabrication. Once the headlights were secured, the rest of the bodywork could be shaped around them.

Step 3: Rebuilding the 370Z Fenders

The fenders became the first major fabrication challenge.

Since the new headlights didn’t match the factory fender lines, large gaps appeared around the edges. Evan's original hood was also severley bent, which presented a challenge as well. To fix this, Evan used fiberglass to reshape the fenders. The process included:

1. Filling gaps with fiberglass layers

2. Building structure where panels sagged

3. Reshaping the body line to flow into the new headlights

One particularly difficult area was the top edge of the fender near the hood. Without proper support, the fiberglass would sag, leaving the fender sitting nearly an inch lower than the hood line. Through repeated layering and sanding, Evan gradually built the correct structure.

Step 4: Modifying the Front Bumper

The bumper required even more modification. Because the 400Z headlights have a dramatically different lower shape, the 370Z bumper had to be cut and rebuilt. Evan used an unconventional method to create the new shape. He began by taping the headlights with masking tape, then fiberglassing over the tape to form a rough mold.

This technique allowed him to build the structure first and refine the shape later. Once the fiberglass cured, he:

• Cut away excess material

• Sanded the edges

• Backfilled the structure with fiberglass filler

This process allowed the bumper to gradually match the headlight design.

Step 5: Endless Sanding and Bodywork

The majority of the project came down to finishing. Custom bodywork requires extensive sanding and shaping. Evan used several sanding stages:

• 80 grit for heavy shaping

• 180 grit for smoothing transitions

• 320 grit for refining the final shape

He also used long strand fiberglass filler in areas requiring additional strength. Traditional body filler was then applied to smooth the final surfaces. This stage is time-consuming but essential for achieving a factory-quality appearance.

The Result: A 370Z That Looks Like it Belongs in the Z Lineage

After extensive fabrication, sanding, and shaping, the headlights finally began to look natural on the car.

The transformation is subtle but powerful. Instead of looking like a random modification, the swap appears almost OEM.

The 400Z headlights bring back the classic Z design language that many enthusiasts felt the 370Z lacked.

It creates a hybrid look that feels both modern and nostalgic.

Preparing for Paint

At the current stage of the build, most of the structural fiberglass work is complete. The remaining steps include:

• Final body filler work

• Panel smoothing

• Primer and paint preparation

Evan has also been testing multiple custom paint colors, working with The Spray Source to find the perfect finish for the car.

Once the bodywork is finalized this week, the car will move into the paint stage.

Planning for Future Repairs

Because the car is used for drifting, panel damage is inevitable. Instead of rebuilding everything from scratch after an impact, Evan plans to create fiberglass molds of the most complex sections. These molds will allow him to:

• Quickly reproduce damaged pieces

• Repair the car between events

• Maintain consistent body panel shapes

This approach is common in professional race car fabrication.

Why Projects Like This Matter to Car Culture

At its core, this build represents something bigger than just headlights. It represents the creative spirit of the automotive community. Custom builds push design boundaries and inspire new ideas. Sometimes a simple experiment—like swapping headlights—can evolve into something completely unique.

For Evan, the project also reinforces a philosophy he encourages other builders to follow: If you have an idea, try it. Sometimes the most exciting builds come from experimentation and passion.

Final Thoughts

The 400Z headlight swap on a 370Z is one of the most interesting modern Z modifications to emerge from the enthusiast community.

By blending elements from two generations of the Nissan Z platform, Evan created a front-end design that feels both new but also familiar.

It’s a reminder that car culture evolves through creativity, risk-taking, and hands-on experimentation. And in the world of drifting—where style matters just as much as speed—that creativity can make all the difference.

Tags

370Z body modification 370Z drift build 370Z headlight conversion 400Z headlight swap blogs custom 370Z front end Evan Shanks 370Z LS3 370Z drift car Nissan 370Z custom headlights Nissan Z 400 headlights on 370Z Nissan Z headlight swap

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