RockinHits | 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T

My Story & Background

I was 13 years old in 1970. Old enough to experience the great muscle car era, not quite old enough to be a player in the game. By the time I got my drivers license, the era was all but over. Graduation day came and it was time to move on, but in the back of my mind there was always... 'Someday'. Life came with responsibility and family was always first and formost. 'Someday' didn't come until retirement.
'Someday' came on New Years Eve of 2021.

The goal was to get a 1970 Challenger R/T, but taking out a second mortgage was not part of that plan. So, the 2008 - 2014 Challenger's were as close visually, as I was going to get with the resemblance of the front grill and tail lights. Blue was my preference with a black or dark interior. I knew I had found my Challenger R/T. 🤩

When I took ownership of the car on 12/31/2021, it had 61,384 miles on it. Eight months later, at about 68,745, I began hearing the dreaded "HEMI Tick". 🤬
Within days it progressively got worse, so I was off to the speed shop. They diagnosed it and found that cylinder #6 had dropped the lifter. Though it wasn't planned, it either had to be fixed or built. I went with built. Dyno shows 468 hp at the crank, 405 hp at the wheels and redline moved from 5700 rpm to 6500 rpm. Transmission is the original stock NAG1 5 speed, other than the torque converter. The rear is stock.
( A future project )

The original paint color of my car is Deep Water Blue Pearl, which I discovered was a 2009 color. Dodge faced supplier issues and instead of seeking a new supplier, they discontinued the color and used up their remaining inventory on the 2010 models. In 2010, 57,174 Challengers were built, and of the 1598 Challenger R/T's that were painted in this color:

1103 were automatics:

485 had sunroofs
618 were hardtops

495 were manual shift

225 had sunroofs
270 were hardtops

My car falls under the hardtop automatic family, and I often wonder how many of the original 618 hardtops are still on the road. 🤔

Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler advertise horsepower at the crank, which is the standard measurement device for determining an engine's horsepower. The 5.7L HEMI from Dodge, with a displacement of 345 cubic inches, is advertised at 372-375 horsepower at the crank. This figure refers to the engine's rotating crankshaft and is also known as brake horsepower. However, the wheel horsepower is a more critical metric as it reflects the power delivered to the road through the wheels, after taking into account drivetrain loss. In order to increase the power transferred from the engine to the wheels, various modifications such as transmission and rear gearing changes can be made. The Dodge Challenger, weighing a little over 4000 lbs, is a heavy car, which makes it more challenging to achieve higher wheel horsepower. There's a good HP To WHP / WHP To HP Calculator here. The only way to know where your car stands is to put it on a dyno. 😎

When I was putting my build together, it was never about challenging Scatpacks or Hellcats. Although it has moved closer to the Scatpack range, my main goal was to have a car that was a cut above the average stock R/T and other cars of that caliber. It's a fun car to drive, and for the most part, it can hold its own. It has that sweet cam chop and can/does raises eyebrows from time to time. As an enthusiast, I'm not out cruising for races or going to the drag strip on weekends. It's all just good fun and memories of days gone by. 😉

Right now ( before they were discontinued ) on Dodge's website, a 2023 stock V6 Challenger is over $30,000.00 for a bare bones no frills model. I'm well under that with my purchase & build. The body style doesn't change enough for it to be a factor to me. I like how closely it resembles the 1970 R/T. When you see it, you know what it is. 🤣

Dodge Challenger History

Quick History...

The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles (two of those being pony cars) produced by American automobile manufacturer Dodge. However, the first use of the Challenger name by Dodge was in 1959 for marketing a "value version" of the full-sized Coronet Silver Challenger.

Motortrend History... here.

The Dodge Challenger R/T is a high-performance muscle car that has been produced by the American automaker Dodge. Introduced in fall 1969 for the 1970 model year, and ran through 1974. The R/T stands for "Road and Track," a performance package that was first introduced in 1967 on the Dodge Coronet. The first-generation Dodge Challenger was introduced in 1970 and was available with a range of engines, including a 340 cubic inch V8 and a 426 cubic inch Hemi V8.

The R/T model was the top-of-the-line Challenger in 1970, and it was available with the Hemi engine, which produced up to 425 horsepower. The Challenger R/T was also notable for its distinctive styling, which featured a long hood, short deck, and a wide stance. It was available in a range of colors and graphics packages, including the iconic "Bumblebee" stripe.

Production of the Challenger ended in 1974 due to changes in emissions regulations, but the model was reintroduced in 2008 as part of Dodge's retro styling trend.

And then there was the '80's' -- The Dark Ages

It is, of course, the second-generation Dodge Challenger, from 1980. Dodge did produce a model called the Challenger in the 1980s, but it was not a continuation of the classic muscle car produced in the early 1970s.

The 1980s Challenger was a compact hatchback model that was based on the Mitsubishi Galant Lambda and was produced from 1978 to 1983. The Dodge Challenger of this era was also sold under different names in various international markets, such as the Plymouth Sapporo in the United States and the Chrysler Scorpion in Australia. In addition to the shrunken body, the Challenger lost its V8 for this generation. On offer were a couple of inline-four cylinder engines, in either 1.6- or 2.6-liter displacements. 🤭 ( Source: TheTruthAboutCars )

The modern Challenger R/T features a similar design to the original, but with updated technology and more powerful engines, including the base SXT has 303 HP, a 375 HP 5.7-liter Hemi V8,a 485 HP 6.4-liter Hemi V8, the SRT Hellcat models range from 717 to 797 HP, and the top-tier SRT Super Stock boasts 807 HP. Each model is designed to deliver a unique performance experience. Since its reintroduction, the Challenger R/T has continued to be a popular choice for muscle car enthusiasts, and it has received numerous updates and special editions over the years, including the limited-production Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 and The SRT Demon C170 with drag racer in mind.

Production of Dodge's retro styling trend of the Challenger ended in 2023. 😭
But the legend lives on. 😎

Why the 2011 Front Bumper?

So,... Why did I use a 2011 front bumper fascia on my 2010?

As far as fit goes, 2008 - 2014 Challenger front bumper fascia's are all the same. The difference being, 2008-2010 has a chrome rams head emblem on the nose.

The story is that the car had been run into a ditch. The lower chin spoiler, bumper fascia & radiator needed work. Tie rods were also replaced, and front end aligned.

The thing is, the seller kinda "fixed" the front bumper fascia. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I wanted. Across the fascia, in front of the headlights, the bumper was wavey. The chin spoiler had some small chips, and a few scratches around the passenger side headlight. While running down the road, no one would have ever noticed it, but standing still was a different story. He did put in a new radiator & transmission cooler, and I've upgraded them to the Cold Case / Hayden coolers. I had tried using a different emblem, but wasn't happy with it either. In 2011 Dodge stopped putting the rams head emblem on the Challengers, and for me, that was the solution. I wanted to install aftermarket headlights so doing the bumper fascia & lights at the same time was the way to go.