A Challenger in the Direct Connection exhibit at the Mopar Nationals shows Mopar wheels, T/A hood and Go-Wing Spoiler. It’s all made to go together, and looks it.
Challenger: Make It Your Own
The new 2008–2009 Dodge Challenger caused an explosion in the market, not just in the number sold, but in the mass of special versions seen at shows. Almost any customizer will personalize your Challenger on a one-off basis, including legendary specialty manufacturer Hurst, showing the Mopar® T/A hood scoop on their new Competition Plus Challenger. But you can do it yourself, using genuine Mopar performance parts and accessories available at Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge dealers all around the country.
The hood scoop pictured here on the Hurst Challenger is symbolic of all things Mopar®. Mopar calls it the T/A scoop. It’s similar to ones on the rare Challenger T/A that Dodge built in 1970 to qualify for the Trans Am road racing series. Similar hoods were on Pro Stock cars back in the 1970s and are part of the current Drag Paks. This piece represents a great way to personalize a new Challenger. By the way, the name Hurst should be familiar to Mopar enthusiasts—or any car nut for that matter—as the maker of the famous Competition Plus shifter, first introduced in the 1960s. Less well known is that Hurst built the unbeatable 1968–69 HEMI® Dart and Barracuda “package” cars that are still winning everything in NHRA Super Stock after more than 40 years. Hurst is also famous for the HEMI Under Glass exhibition wheelstanding Barracuda that Bob Riggle is still using to wow the fans; and who can forget images of “Miss Golden Shifter” Linda Vaughn draped over a giant Hurst gearshift lever on the back of a Hurst Olds convertible.
Do it yourself with Mopar Parts and Accessories
The process starts with an idea—something we think will make your car better.
Once a product is selected, Mopar doesn’t just pack and ship it to the market. Mopar evaluates the part to either approve it or change it for the better. Better fit, better performance, easier to install. Once that is done, the product is ready to ship to you.
What’s the point of all this? Mopar is all about making sure that you can buy and use Mopar-quality parts with confidence, knowing they will fit and work with your car for the long term.
For your convenience, we assembled a few of Mopar’s Challenger parts and accessories in these pages. It’s pretty amazing to see that practically everything on the production Challenger can be upgraded. And there are Mopar accessories to change and/or add to the appeal of this already-iconic Dodge performance machine.
Performance
Starting from the front of this Challenger hot rod, there is a no-brainer change available to the air filter—a high-flow OEM replacement piece. Or you can go all the way and install the Cold Air Intake System. It replaces the factory-supplied resonator system for more sound and fury when you press on the “go” button.
We’ve already talked about the Mopar T/A hood with scoop. In addition, Mopar offers a Hood Prop Kit consisting of gas-filled struts to replace the hood rod. Now you have an unobstructed path to the engine so you can replace the already-high-flow cylinder heads with Mopar’s CNC-Ported monsters and get even more horsepower. Remember, more air into and out of the cylinders means more power. The above mentioned intake modifications are part of this, as are the new Mopar exhaust headers and Cat-Back™ exhaust systems, to help move all that air and make all that extra power.
Not to mention all that extra mellow music to your ears as all the go-fast parts help press you harder into the seat back.
And, to make sure you put the power down with maximum efficiency, Mopar offers a limited-slip differential. It keeps the wheels turning in synch with the road. But, wait, we need a brake upgrade to burn off all that kinetic energy—and Mopar has brake pads to do just that.
Accessories
We present here some attractive items for Challengers. Check them out and head for your friendly Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge dealer—or log on to Mopar.com. We’re talking about the T/A Hood, 20-inch five-spoke Heritage Wheels, Body Decal Kit, Vehicle Cover, Kicker Audio upgrades, iPod Integration Kit, Go-Wing Spoiler and more.
A Few Examples
We could fill this whole book with photos of custom Challengers to show what is possible, but on the following page are a few examples. If you have a Challenger you would like to see in the pages of Mopar Magazine, please send a photo to editor@moparmagazine.com. We will select a few from time to time to include in our Reader Rides section.
