This DIY Dodge Challenger Dually Is a Pickup Truck and a Muscle Car in One
One thing that many modern cars lack is a decent towing capacity. Towing is reserved for bulky SUVs and trucks, but people may want to tow with their car instead. Well, one mechanically inclined DIYer took his Dodge Challenger and converted it into a Dually. With two wheels on the back and a grille bar at the front, this pickup truck muscle car hybrid is about as American as they get.
The specs and stats of this DIY Dodge Challenger Dually
It started as a fully specced 2018 Dodge Challenger. This included the “Scat Pack” and a 6.4 liter Hemi V8 that churned out 485 horsepower. So in terms of power, there’s no shortage. But Ray of Ray’s Rides aims to increase the Challenger’s wimpy towing capacity. Stock, the Dodge Challenger Scat Pack can tow just 1,000 lbs. But Ray’s goal is to bump that up to 8,000 lbs.
Now, in theory, this would be possible, and the Dodge Challenger would be an excellent candidate. It already has the power and torque ratings. And on top of that, the car comes with beefy Brembo disc brakes on every wheel. That means, in theory, the car would be able to come to a stop (so long as the trailer brakes also communicate with the Dodge Challenger). It also has a manual transmission, meaning a computerized automatic wouldn’t have a heart attack over an added 8,000 lbs to the car’s 4,200 lb weight (Dodge Challenger’s are heavy).
But in order to pull of this mechanical feat, Ray has a few hoops to jump through. After all, the car wasn’t built from the factory to tow all that much. So there’s a lot that needs to be ripped apart and rebuilt.
All the necessary modifications to turn this Challenger into a towing rig
The first step Ray already took was adding the extra set of tires to the back, creating an all original “Dodge Dually” look. That’ll certainly help the rear end support a larger load, but as is, that isn’t enough.
SUVs and trucks are built with sturdier frames and subframes, which can get especially challenging to strengthen if the vehicle is a body-on-frame design. If he were to tow 8,000 lbs with a stock Dodge Challenger, Ray would rip the car in half. But there are a few options to strengthen the frame.
One way to do it is to rip the rear frame of a Dodge Durango and surgically implant it into the Challenger. Or he could modernize the truck with rear coils and airbags from Ram. He’ll also need to upgrade the suspension and the transmission so it can handle a heavier load.
So after the work is done, Ray will use it forever to haul campers and cargo around, right? Wrong.
The future of the Dodge Challenger Dually
For anyone smitten by the Dodge Challenger Dually, I have some good news: as of now, Ray doesn’t have intentions of keeping it. Once the project is built, and hopefully tested, he plans on selling his outrageous creation in hopes to use the funds to open his own DIY shop. In other words, this labor of love could be yours, and you’d be supporting someone’s passion.
For now, it’s Ray’s daily driver and toy. But it would be great to see this car listed for sale, as I’m sure this DIYer (or lunatic, depending on who you ask) would build even more outrageous creations like this in his own shop.
