Hellcat-Swapped Ram Rebel TRX Works…Briefly
Anticipation can be agonizing, I get it. Especially when you’re waiting for something you really want, like the Ram Rebel TRX. Ram’s confirmed the Hellcat-powered pickup is coming…sometime. Well, as Motor1
The RebHell Recipe
AMW4x4 didn’t just shove the 707-hp supercharged Hellcat V8 into the Rebel’s engine bay and call it a day. To make it look factory, some of the components had to be moved around. The supercharger is also fed by a Demon airbox. Said airbox gets air from hood vents—as it would from the factory—and from intakes cut into the fitted widebody Charger Hellcat grille.
Charles also added 18-inch Method 305 wheels, with 37-inch Nitto Ridge Grappler tires. He also had installed the very first production Fiberwerx 2019 Ram 1500 widebody kit sold in North America. Hand-fabricated bumpers were fit in order to align the kit. Along with a Carven Competitor exhaust, these are the only mods made to the Ram. Even the air suspension was stock.
Sadly, so were the front and rear axles and differentials.
How Did the Homemade Rebel TRX Fare?
The RebHell was run at a private event held at Grand Bend Motorplex in Grand Bend, Ontario. As this was a recent build—and as the video describes—Charles was adjusting the engine tuning throughout the day. The best time was a 13:24, with the engine running 8 lbs of boost. Considering the stock Hellcat engine can run up to 11.6 lbs of boost, according to EngineLabs, this was well within the powertrain’s limits.
Or rather, the engine’s and transmission’s limits. During one last race between the homemade Rebel TRX and 5thGenRams’ own Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, both the RebHell’s front and rear axles snapped.
How the Production Rebel TRX Stacks Up
As of this writing, no new information about the Ram Rebel TRX has come out. The 2017 concept’s engine was detuned to 575 hp, but as we’ve previously reported, the production version could come with the full 707. In addition, as Motor1 reports, the production TRX appears to come with ARB air lockers on each axle. Most likely, to avoid the situation seen in the video.
As the video above shows, there’s a reason for long development times for new vehicles. Tuning and reliability issues have to be ironed out. This is especially true of high-performance vehicles. However, credit to AMW4x4 and Charles for building the RebHell. Whether or not this homemade Rebel TRX is a good indicator of the production version remains to be seen. But dedication and passion like this should always be celebrated.
