Dodge Magnum Hellcat Redeye Swap Is an Awesome Yet Difficult Project

Roadkill Nights bound Dodge Magnum Hellcat Redeye manual swap isn’t proving easy to complete, but the aggravation will certainly be worth it.

The Roadkill Nights Grudge Race will soon present its seventh installment at the iconic Woodward Avenue in Detroit, and this time around, it’s pitting nine automotive influencers against each other in a very unique drag race. Those internet famous folks are all using Dodge Direct Connection parts – including Hellcat Redeye crate engines – to create their own personal drag racing machine that they can then pilot to glory when the event takes place on Saturday, August 13. One of the contenders is mega-popular YouTuber David Patterson behind the That Dude In Blue YouTube channel, and his project – this Dodge Magnum Hellcat Redeye swap – is proving to be a very cool, yet very challenging build.

Patterson, along with his fellow contenders, is completing his Dodge Magnum Hellcat Redeye swap using the provided crate engine, a manual transmission, and $10,000, all provided by the automaker. As one might imagine, this older car presents quite a few challenges when it comes to completing that work, particularly in terms of the manual swap. That isn’t a huge surprise, as installing a row-your-own gearbox in any car that was originally an automatic is going to be challenging in a number of ways.

Patterson and his crew also went through six different sets of wheels before it found ones that fit, since it’s apparently difficult to find the right bolt pattern and offset for the wagon. And once the wheels and tires are mounted, the crew discovers that the sway bar they added is hitting as well.

However, it seems as if the engine wasn’t terribly difficult to cram in the Magum’s engine bay, at least, requiring only the proper mount and bracket and zero cutting or fabrication necessary.

There’s still a lot of work to be done here, including quite a bit relating to the transmission swap. Patterson needs to get a shifter extender to add 15 inches and place it where it needs to be, and the team needs to source a custom driveshaft as well, while the hood won’t quite close with the Hellcat Redeye powerplant in place.

Then it’s on to the fun tasks of plumbing the new fuel system and tuning everything up. Regardless, this is one of the coolest projects we’ve seen in some time, and we can’t wait to see it rip up Woodward Avenue in just a couple of weeks.

Join the Dodge Forums now!

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.