1968 Dodge Charger is a Mopar monster with JDM power

⚡️ Read the full article on Motorious

This controversial engine combination has led many to wonder where this build will take Mike Finnegan and his team.

Typically within the automotive community, rust can be seen as a tribute to the owner’s laziness, but it can also be a badge of honor that shows the vast history of these beautiful cars. Whatever the reason, that can be said Finnegan’s garage “Death Metal” 1968 Dodge Charger. After living its life as a modified racer, the team at Finnegan’s found this beast in a sorry state that would make any vintage car enthusiast shed a tear for their beloved classic. Initially, Finnegan gave the Charger a “restored” 440 ci Mopar big-block V8 engine. Nowadays the car has something less conventional under the hood.

This massive Mopar monster is powered by the famous turbocharged 3.0-liter 2JZ engine and tuned to produce 430 horsepower at the rear tires. The reasoning behind this, some would say blasphemous, decision was the back end of a Willys truck. That rear end had a factory gear ratio of 4.88, making the relatively low-speed V8 virtually useless in racing and drift applications. This wasn’t the first time this incredible engine was used in one of these iconic Chargers. However, this was special because of the audience these guys were broadcasting to, the American muscle car community.

Another problem finally reared its ugly head, this time having to do with the same rear end that served as the main catalyst for the engine swap in the first place. This old backend isn’t customizable, so the guys swapped their brew. Finally, this custom Charger had gotten the 9″ rear end it deserved, with a complete rear end equipped with two calipers, one for a drifting E-brake. Fortunately, the lug pattern was custom ordered to match the eight-lug wheel pattern, allowing the classic racing wheels to remain on this beautiful car. Regardless of the normality of this build, this is an excellent car, and we hope to see where the builder comes from.