Hot Rod Garage Delivers a Twin Turbo 428c.i. Powered 1970 Dodge Challenger Street Machine
You have to admire a father who buys his 17-year-old son a “fun car” and the car is a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T with a 383c.i. big block V8. After a tune up and new wheels and tires, the son drove it until an accident forced a what-do-we-do-now moment.
“After the accident we stripped it down and sent it off for sand blasting,” Steve Nettleingham says. “When we got it back, we found bad rust and hidden body damage.”
That wasn’t a big surprise since the car had come from Pennsylvania to Steve’s Oklahoma home. He turned to the team at Hot Rod Garage in Sand Springs for the multi-year rebuild that would transform the 55-year-old muscle car into a stunning modern street machine.
The long list of modifications began with lengthening an Art Morrison chassis 2.5 inches to move the front wheels forward, which meant the front wheel well openings were cut and moved forward 1.5 inches and slightly rotated to match the rear openings. The chassis utilizes Art Morrison coil-over front and rear suspension s, rack-and-pinion steering, and big Baer disc brakes to update the car’s handling capabilities. Forgeline 19×7.5- and 20×12-inch Dropkick wheels wear Michelin tires.
Steve bucked the modern Hemi trend and opted for a 428c.i. stroker small-block Mopar built by Nelson Racing Engines that generates 1,200 horsepower thanks to twin turbos force feeding air through a Nelson Alien intake. Air inlets replace the stock high-beam headlights in the grille. The engine also features W9 heads, Holley Dominator ignition, and stainless headers feeding a custom exhaust fabricated by Hot Rod Garage. A Rockland Gear Tranzilla six-speed manual transmission feeds power to a rearend with 3.70 gears.
Very little of the original sheet metal survived its time in the shop. Modifications include a custom-fabricated firewall, floors, and wheel tubs, deleted drip rails, reshaped lower quarters, a new trunk lid with an integral spoiler, a rear diffuser, custom front spoiler, custom bumpers, and one-off hood vents. The House of Kolor Gargolye Green and PPG clear were applied by Tom McDonald at Hot Rod Garage.
The Recovery Room transformed the 1970 Dodge Challenger interior using Garett leather (with perforated inserts from Avant Garde Design) on custom seats and door panels. A custom dash houses Holley digital gauges and a Sparc wheel on a Flaming River column, while the A/C vents and all control knobs were 3D printed by the Recovery Room team. It’s little wonder TMI Products awarded the car the Best of Show interior award in Columbus.
What started as a Fun 1970 Dodge Challenger is certainly now a Way More Fun Dodge Challenger, don’t you think?
Photos: John Jackson, Damon Lee
