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Hellcat Swapped 1968 Dodge Charger

Hollywood Hot Rods Built, Modern Hemi Power, and Vintage Detroit Iron

By Brian Brennan   –   Photography By Wes Allison

There can be no denying that the muscle car era of the ’60s fashioned some amazing adrenaline-fabricated Detroit Iron. Near the top was the Dodge Charger, specifically the ’68. Had the ’68 been blessed with the powerplant that now resides in the Hollywood Hot Rods (HHR)-built 1968 Dodge Charger, we suspect it would have clearly been number one within the muscle car crowd.

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04 Vintage Dodge Charger with modern Pro Touring appearance

“What’s under the hood?” is typically the first question asked when walking the walkways of any car show or rambling the aisles at any Friday night burger joint gathering. Of course, today, the sophisticated hot rodder has his coffee and doughnuts with a healthy dose of high-octane gas fumes, the crackling of a potent V8 engine, and the early morning chill. No matter how good-looking a particular car may be, what’s under the hood justifies all the admiration. While we don’t know the owner (clearly the strong silent type) of this combination of “old and new,” we do know that Troy Ladd and his crew at Hollywood Hot Rods knew just what to do. The unnamed owner liked the modern Pro Touring appearance and had the idea of blending a 1968 Dodge Charger with the apex of the Charger’s modern drivetrains—the supercharged Hellcat V8 engine with all its 717 hp.

05 1968 Dodge Charger with 717 hp Hellcat engine

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Back in 1967, the Dodge Charger had lost its appeal among the car crowd, with sales of around 16,000 units. Chrysler knew something had to be done. Fast-forward a bit, and 1968 saw sales skyrocket to approximately 96,000 units. Why? It was the first year of the “Coca-Cola body” style. (Richard Sias is credited with the unique styling of the Coke bottle appearance of the 1968 Dodge Charger. Stand back and look, and you will see what we mean.) That’s what the Charger needed, but there was more. The power plant options were significant in 1968, ranging from a 318-inch 230hp V8 engine to a very respectable 383 ci producing 325 hp. (Remember, we are talking about ’60s horsepower numbers.) However, the V8 engine option that will be recorded in the history books and forever debated at car events everywhere is “the one,” the 426ci Street Hemi V8 engine. The word Hemi is enough to get any hot rodder’s pulse racing. But how about 425 hp (and we believe then some) and 490 lb-ft of torque? Remember, on the street, torque will get you from stoplight to stoplight in a righteous fashion. History has proven this: the Hemi, regardless of what generation, is always spoken with awe.

07 1968 Dodge Charger showcasing wilwood brake master cylinder

The ’21 supercharged Hellcat engine (6.2L or 378 inches) residing in this 1968 Charger produces an ample 717 hp and 650 lb-ft. of torque, which is deliverable power to the rear wheels via an Inland Empire Driveline driveshaft. (The Redeye Hellcat version has 797 hp, and the Super Stock version has a retina-detaching 807 hp just in case you need more.) This Hellcat engine is featured in its stock trim but does have 2-inch-diameter aftermarket headers from Tube Technologies that then dump into the 3-inch stainless steel exhaust pipe and make a direct line to a pair of Flowmaster headers. All the exhaust system fabrication was dialed up at Hollywood Hot Rods. Linked to the supercharged Hellcat engine is the factory eight-speed ZF transmission with a 4.71 First gear, which makes acceleration a priority for this 1968 Dodge Charger. Overall power is delivered to the 8.75-inch Dana 60 rearend that spins a 2.62 ring-and-pinion. Not only is this Charger set up to accelerate, but it is also capable of an overwhelming top speed with its 0.67-second overdrive gear.

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10 1968 Dodge Charger with factory eight speed ZF transmission

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The modified stock chassis is answerable for holding this potent V8 engine to the ground. While at Hollywood Hot Rods, the frame underwent the installation of subframe connectors, a coilover shock conversion, and the addition of sway bars. A Control Freak Suspensions Independent Front Suspension was added to the 1968 Charger that includes the mounting points for tubular control arms, double-adjustable Viking coilovers, 1-inch sway bar, Wilwood Pro drop spindles, a modified Flaming River power rack-and-pinion, and six-piston Wilwood calipers and 13-inch drilled-and-slotted rotors. In the back is more Wilwood with the use of four-piston calipers and 11-inch drilled-and-slotted rotors and Control Freak Suspensions triangulated four-bar with additional double-adjustable Viking coilovers and ¾-inch sway bar. All this rolls around on Boze Intake Concave wheels that measure 19×9 and 20×11, front to rear, and then wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport 245/35R19 and 315/30R20 rubber.

12 1968 Dodge Charger blends classic and modern in this custom interior

The Hollywood Hot Rods crew knew what was needed to make this a modern Pro Touring ground pounder and, at the same time, feature amazing looks. In front, the grille opening was reshaped while the front bumper was redesigned and then cut and tucked to give a snug and flowing fit to the front. The rear bumper was also cut and tucked, cleaning up the rear lines. Additional reshaping can be seen in the front and rear valance as well as the rear panel. Also, in the back, the wheel well was re-radiused, the corners were reshaped, and the rear fender caps were removed. The Dodge Charger did receive a “haircut” with the removal of the side marker lights (mandated in 1968 for all cars), factory identity emblems, and door handles. The Charger received a rear wing that was made from components from a modern Charger rear wing. Receiving the nod for the abundant amounts of bodywork fell to California Autoworx, and from there they painted the Charger in Chrysler Destroyer Gray with black vinyl factory-style trunk wraparound stripes. (An interesting backstory on the paint. The Destroyer Gray was introduced in 2017 for Chrysler’s performance cars. Some would say that it is devoid of color and it has no metal flake in it. It was discontinued in 2019, thus making it a very limited production color.)

22 1968 Dodge Charger with modern Charger rear wing

The stock dashboard is retained inside, but it is now leather covered. The modern instrumentation from Dakota Digital, coupled with an American Autowire wiring kit positioned by Hollywood Hot Rods, brings the entire package to life. A factory steering column is retained and topped with a Billet Specialties steering wheel. Other appointments include Vintage Air heating and air conditioning along with a modern-day Charger transmission shifter in the custom center console and a Sony touch-screen stereo system with a rear camera feature. The Sparco front bucket seats and rear bench seating are now covered in gray leather, with all the interior and trunk stitchwork appropriately handled by Mark Lopez of Elegance Auto Interiors. The headliner is suede and the carpeting is dark brown, again all by Elegance Auto Interiors.

25 Side view of the 1968 Dodge Charger with Boze Intake Concave wheels

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Here’s one last backstory on the 1968 Dodge Charger. This is for movie buffs. Recall the movie Bullitt and the bad guys chasing our hero Steve McQueen in his Mustang Fastback. The extended chase scene shows a brand-new 1968 Dodge Charger chasing McQueen through the streets of San Francisco (or that’s what they would have us believe) before crashing into a gas station and exploding. But the takeaway from this scene was the number of hubcaps that came off the Charger. Now, by my count, a 1968 Charger has four hubcaps, but in this famous movie chase scene, five were lost!

20 1968 Dodge Charger with Sony touch screen stereo system

Well, if you are going to select a ’60s-era muscle car to bring forward and match with one of today’s power plants, you would be hard-pressed to do better than the 1968 Dodge Charger coupled with a 2021 Dodge Charger Hellcat V8. MR

Click on this issue’s cover to see the enhanced digital version of Hellcat Swapped 1968 Dodge Charger.

mr june 2024

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