LS-Swapped Dodge Challenger Lays Waste to Hellcats

Unorthodox Build

Dodge has enjoyed quite the resurgence courtesy of its wide variety of Hemi-powered Chargers and Challengers in recent years. And sure, these notoriously heavy cars can still lay down rather impressive times at the track with Mopar power. But a fellow named Alberto Ramos decided to do things a little different with his Challenger. We caught up with Ramos and his ride over at Hot Rod, which is guaranteed to draw the ire of every Mopar fan on earth. 

Photos: Hot Rod

Doing It Again

Of course, it's what lies under the hood of this Challenger that makes Ramos such a controversial figure at the drags, and that's LS power. Ramos has been swapping Chevy motors into Dodge vehicles for quite some time, however, once installing a 4.3 into his 1979 Colt 20 years ago. Now, he's done it again with a 6.0-liter, 408 cubic-inch mill for his formerly V6-powered Dodge.

Photos: Hot Rod

>>Join the conversation about this Challenger with an LS surprise right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Simple but Effective

As we all know, the LS platform is rather simple compared to Dodge's modern Hemi, and Ramos uses that to his advantage here. The LS wears a set of Patriot LS3 heads and a single 69mm Borg Warner turbo, with a blow-through CSU carburetor, a mild 0.590-inch lift custom cam, and Eagle forged internals wrapping the build-up. The output is estimated to be just a hair over 800 horsepower.

Photos: Hot Rod

>>Join the conversation about this Challenger with an LS surprise right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Cheap Speed

Backed up by a TH400 transmission with a convertor and on mild boost, the hefty Challenger easily runs in the very low 10s and has already beaten a Hellcat Redeye on street tires, so we'd go ahead and dub it a success. The best thing is, even after giving his Chevy-powered Dodge a fresh paint job, Ramos will still have less than $20k in the whole thing.

Photos: Hot Rod

>>Join the conversation about this Challenger with an LS surprise right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

First Timer

But perhaps the most amazing thing about this Challenger is the fact that it's Ramos' very first experience with building an LS motor. "I started out originally with a 6.0 junkyard motor," he told Hot Rod. "It's my first LS build. I did it all myself. I got on YouTube, you know, hours and hours of just self-learning. All the machining was done by my friends over at CW Pence Machining, but I put the engine together myself."

Photos: Hot Rod

>>Join the conversation about this Challenger with an LS surprise right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Demon Impersonator

The rest of the car is essentially going to try to mimic the Demon look. Ramos has accumulated a set of knock-off 20-inch Demon-like wheels, a fiberglass Demon hood, and a Demon spoiler to install before his brother, a body and paint guy, lays down a new hue. But personally, we kinda dig the junkyard salvage look. 

Photos: Hot Rod

>>Join the conversation about this Challenger with an LS surprise right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Heartbreaker

There's just something satisfying about an LS-powered junkyard Dodge that can't be beaten with high-dollar brand new machinery straight from the dealer lot. And losing to this Challenger has to be heartbreaking for the guys that just dropped $70k plus on their fancy new Mopars. Not to mention incredibly satisfying for Ramos.

Photos: Hot Rod

>>Join the conversation about this Challenger with an LS surprise right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

For help with service of your car, check out the how to section of LS1Tech.com