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That thing got a Hemi? Mopar engine kits make it easier to say yes

Thanks to a new kit from Mopar, classic car owners will have an easier time dropping Hemis into their muscle cars. The kit works with Mopar's 345 and 392 Hemi engines (5.7 and 6.4 liters respectively) and with cars built before 1975. The kit will run $1,795 and has everything needed to get one of the above engines running. The parts include a power distribution system, engine computer, engine and chassis wiring harnesses, O2 and intake air temperature sensors, ground wiring and a gas pedal. The kit is also designed to work with a manual transmission, but Mopar says a transmission such as the Torqueflite 727 and 904 can be made to work with the system. As for examples of the kit in action, take a look at the Jeep CJ66 and Dodge Challenger Shakedown that Mopar revealed this week at the SEMA show. Mopar also offers a few other parts to help complete the project, including various oil pans to clear subframes, a set of headers, and accessory drives for power steering and air conditioning. All of these parts are extra cost though. You'll also need an engine, and the 345 starts at $6,070, and the 392 runs $9,335. However, if you happen to already have one from 2014 or newer, that will work, too. Muscle car fans are getting more choices for their engine conversions. Chevrolet Performance already sells crate engines with "Connect and Cruise" kits to get its engines working in classic cars. The General also offers it with more engines. However, for people who want to keep a Mopar engine in their classic Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, or Jeep, this is a cool new option. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mopar Hemi V8 Engine Swap Kit Image Credit: FCA Aftermarket SEMA Show Chrysler Dodge Performance Classics FCA engine swap SEMA 2016

Dodge Challenger Shakedown: '71 body, new guts

While Jeep has created a number of vintage-bodied custom vehicles with modern components, this year's SEMA show plays host to Dodge's take on the idea. The Shakedown concept began life as a 1971 Challenger and ditched almost everything in it, including the engine and chassis. What's left is a modern car with a retro look. The chassis was a particularly complicated part of the job, since the Challenger was originally a unibody car. However, Dodge chose to separate the Challenger's iconic body from its structural parts, and moved it onto a custom, one-off chassis from which the body can be removed as needed. The chassis also carries lowered suspension, Challenger Hellcat brakes, and a 6.4-liter 392 Hemi V8 connected to a six-speed manual transmission from the Viper. Dodge also installed the engine using the new Hemi engine swap kit from Mopar. With the shaker cold-air intake and custom exhaust, the Shakedown's powerplant makes 485 horsepower. View 13 Photos The body itself received plenty of tweaking as well. Dodge shaved off the drip rails, door handles, and turn signals for a cleaner look, and also fitted the grille, headlights, and taillights from a 2017 Challenger. The whole thing is finished in matte black paint with a "vibrating" stripe offset on the left side. The Shakedown also gets 20-inch Slingshot rear wheels and a pair of custom 19-inch versions for the front. On each fender is a bright red "392" decal that uses the same font as the labels on classic Mopars 360 cubic-inch V8s. Inside, the Shakedown gets the same radical upgrade as the chassis. Two Viper seats accompany a Viper steering wheel, and the rear seats are gone altogether. The Viper gearbox is shifted with a Challenger Hellcat gear knob, and carbon-fiber accents and leather adorn the wheel, door panels, instrument panel and center console. Related Video: Image Credit: FCA, Joel Stocksdale SEMA Show Dodge Coupe Concept Cars Performance

2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat is here to be the king of all SUVs

This was inevitable, right? The 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat has arrived, and Dodge hasn’t held anything back. FCA has essentially taken its lovely Hellcat engine and dumped it into the largest SUV it sells. Cheers to that. Power from the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 is rated at 710 horses and 645 pound-feet of torque in this application. It has 3 extra ponies beyond the traditional 707-horsepower version, and thatÂ’s probably just so Dodge can call it the most powerful SUV in the world, eking by the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk that has 707. The Durango Hellcat will crack off a 3.5-second 0-60 mph time and hit a top speed of 180 mph, assuming youÂ’re brave enough to take it there. The 0-60-mph time is 0.9 second quicker than a non-supercharged Durango SRT. Dodge pitted the two against each other on a 2.1-mile road course, and the Hellcat completed the lap 1.5 seconds quicker than the base SRT. All the shifting continues to be handled by an eight-speed automatic transmission. Of course, Dodge is also giving the Durango SRT Hellcat more braking and more suspension to handle the extra power. The upgraded suspension is tuned to be more comfortable in Auto mode and offer better handling in Track mode with less roll, less understeer and better rebound control. This is thanks to newly tuned shocks and stiffer top damper mounts. The brakes are upgraded to massive Brembo six-piston calipers in front and four-piston calipers in the rear. They clamp onto vented rotors at all four corners (15.75 inches in front and 13.8 inches in rear). Tires are 295-square, which is the same size as the regular SRT. You can choose between all-season or summer Pirelli tires. 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat View 17 Photos SRT says it tailored the Hellcat engine to the Durango to make sure it could handle sustained track use. It has a unique cooling circuit for the charge air coolers thatÂ’s designed to keep air going to the engine cooler than 140 degrees. The lower front fascia hides a “cold-air scoop” where the Durango pulls air in from. ItÂ’s all spit out through a new exhaust system thatÂ’s definitely going to be loud as hell. Dodge says it features a 260 mm X-pipe, which is the largest in the SRT lineup. From a styling standpoint, the Hellcat stands out from its brethren without looking too ostentatious.