Wicked Wednesday: Hellcat Redeye Swapped 2014 Dodge Charger

2014 Dodge Charger puts out nearly double the original horsepower thanks to a neatly integrated Hellcat Redeye engine.

2014 was only eight years ago. However, in car terms it may as well be the stone age. Automotive technology moves very quickly. Case in point. In 2014 if you wanted the most powerful Dodge Charger you would select the SRT8 model. That would provide you with a very healthy 470 horsepower. However, that 470 horsepower is less than what you get in the mid-grade Scat Pack you can get today. And the bonkers 2022 Hellcat Redeye puts out darn near 800 horsepower. That is a figure that could not even be dreamed about on a 2014 Dodge Charger. Well, it turns out someone did dream about that. When they woke up from that dream, they stuffed a modern Hellcat Redeye engine into their Charger.

This week’s “Wicked Wednesday” is all about this 2014 Dodge Charger. It was recently posted as a video short on the 707 DT YouTube channel. Because it is a simple video short, we don’t have much information on the build or many detailed pictures. But the video does give us a glimpse of the engine bay. And from what we can see this looks like a clean and well-integrated swap. And of course, we get a few engine revs to let us hear that supercharger whine.

Cost

Again, we don’t have much in the way of details on this build. But we do know that a Hellcrate Redeye engine carries an MSRP of $21,807. And that doesn’t include the engine controller kit which is another couple grand. And of course, you have the labor to do the work. So conservatively speaking this engine swap would cost in the neighborhood of about $35,000. Not cheap for an engine swap. But a new Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye is going to cost you at least $90,000. And that is assuming you can get one without dealer markup. On the other hand, you can pick up a decent example of a 2014 Dodge Charger for about $15K. Throw in $35K for the engine swap and you get a car with Redeye power for about half the cost of a new one.

Sleeper

The other benefit of a build like this aside from the cost is the sleeper aspect of it. Sure, the whine of the supercharger would be a dead giveaway to most enthusiasts that this is not a stock 2014 Dodge Charger. But at a light if you can resist the urge to rev the person next to you would be caught completely unaware. They would never suspect an eight-year-old Charger to pack this much power. And from what we can see of this particular build there are no wild exterior modifications to give away the secret that lives under the hood.

Decision Time

So, is this build for you? Would you prefer to build a car like this for yourself? Or would you rather pay the money to get the car built by Dodge with a full warranty? There is no real wrong answer here. Either way you are driving an 800 horsepower supercharged V8 Dodge. And with EVs on the horizon those days might be numbered. So any way you can get your hands on something like this, do it.

Photo: Dodge

Join the Dodge Forums now!

Joe Kucinski

Joe has been obsessed with cars since he got his very first Matchbox toy in the 1970s. In 2003, he found a new obsession in track days that led to obtaining his SCCA competition license in 2015. In 2019, he became a certified driving instructor for the National Auto Sport Association. His love for all things four wheels has never wavered, whether it's driving some of the best cars in the world on the racetrack, tackling 2,000-mile road trips in 2-seat sports cars or being winched off the side of a mountaintop in a Jeep. Writing for the suite of Internet Brands Auto Communities sites, including Rennlist.com, Ford Truck Enthusiasts, 6 Speed and more allows him to share that knowledge and passion with others.