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2009 Challenger RT Retro Styling UpgradesWe Begin Modifying Our '09 Challenger R/T From the October, 2009 issue of Mopar Muscle By Dave Young Photography by Dave Young, Kevin DiOssi
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With a Hemi engine and cool... With a Hemi engine and cool retro styling, there's no doubt the new Challenger is a true modern muscle car. This month we'll improve both the looks and performance of our '09 R/T with stripes, tint, and a K&N cold air intake. No matter what you think about the economy, the proposed Fiat merger, or the recent Chapter eleven filing by the Chrysler Corporation, one thing is certain: The new Dodge Challenger is a cool car. Unlike the newest rendition of the Dodge Charger, which received mixed reviews upon its debut, the Challenger's retro good looks, exceptional handling, and available 5.7 or 6.1 liter Hemi engine, all add up to a well-rounded, and well-received, performance vehicle. We've put about 5,000 miles on our R/T model since we purchased it, and regularly get thumbs up while on the road, and approving inquiries while we're at the gas station. Several non-enthusiasts have actually even asked if it's a new car or an old car that we've restored, a testament to Chrysler's tough achievement of making an LX platform vehicle look like a Challenger muscle car from the early '70s. We must admit that this car is a blast to drive, likely more fun and certainly more accommodating than Challengers of old. With satellite radio, a well-designed cabin, an extremely smooth and quiet ride, responsive suspension, great brakes, and power to spare, the Challenger mixes the best of modern convenience and pure muscle, so it's no wonder the Challenger is selling well despite the adversarial economy and marginal performance of the company as a whole. Aside from the above mentioned accolades, another reason the Challenger is likely selling well is because it inspires thoughts of cruising the strip, drive-in movies, and restaurants, racing at the local drag strip, and wanting to have the coolest car around, just like the '60s and '70s when Mopars first ruled the streets. After picking up our '09 Challenger... After picking up our '09 Challenger R/T from Citrus Dodge in Dade City, Florida, several months ago, we've been enjoying the comfort and performance of our new ride. Like most enthusiasts, however, we just couldn't leave our new car stock for long. Back then, you could purchase a hot Mopar new from the dealership, modify it with a few performance and appearance items, and have a respectable and unique car. Today, for the first time in many years, the same is possible thanks to the new Dodge Challenger and a supportive aftermarket. With much credit going to modern engineering and materials, the new Challenger is already quite a good performer right from the factory. Like most gearheads, however, we can't leave any vehicle we drive, new or old, stock for very long. Wanting to set our car apart from others on the road, and wanting to gain a performance advantage as well, we're ready to start modifying our car with a few minor items that will make a major difference. Although we've affectionately named this car "Project Voided Warranty" around the office, the truth is there are many ways you can modify your new car without affecting the warranty at all. The first and most logical modification for the engine, and the one we'll perform this month, is installing a cold air induction kit. This is an easy job and provides the Hemi engine with a shot of cool air that you can hear through the induction system at wide open throttle, feel in the seat of your pants, and see on the dyno or at the drag strip. Despite what you may have heard, or what a dealer service adviser may tell you, installing a cold air system-like the K&N we used, won't affect your warranty at all. In fact K&N has personnel on staff specially trained to deal with car manufacturers and dealerships who argue the point, and their new warranty ensures you won't be denied a manufacturer's warranty claim simply for having installed their product. Wanting to check this fact, we called our friends at Citrus Dodge in Dade City, Florida, the dealership where we purchased the car, and they quickly verified that they couldn't speak for other dealerships, but that in their experience Chrysler wouldn't deny a warranty claim based on a K&N filter, or certain other performance items, being installed on a car. The new Challenger is a blast... The new Challenger is a blast to drive, but we wanted a little more in terms of style and performance. This extra assurance prompted us to install their kit on our Challenger, and we were very pleased with the results. Not only is this kit easy to install, it also makes the engine bay look cleaner as well as improving horsepower by a K&N claimed 20 or so horsepower. While this sounds like a big gain for a cold air kit, looking at the factory unit, with its multi-chambers to quiet induction roar, we can certainly deduce how it could be possible. As you'll see later in the article, we installed the kit in about an hour, and then verified K&N's claims with before-and-after testing at the drag strip. To complement our Challenger's improved performance, we decided the car should have some kind of stripes. Since the silver color of our car lends itself well to black accents, we contacted Graphic Express to see what stripes were available for the new Challenger, but were told they were still waiting for a car on which they could design the decals. Wanting to help out, we quickly volunteered our car, giving us the chance to see multiple stripe applications before choosing the '71 R/T-style double stripe for our Challenger. Additionally, Graphic Express designed a hood blackout which is on our car, and a variety of other stripes for the Challenger that can be seen on their website or in their ads. We like the idea of vinyl decals when striping a car. Not only are the decals inexpensive and relatively easy to install, if you grow tired of a certain look the decals can be removed without damaging the paint and replaced with a different style. Since the hood and sides of our Challenger were accented in black, we felt the car would look better with a black spoiler as well. Although the extra-strong double sided tape holding the spoiler in place fought hard, the crew at JD's Paint and Body removed the spoiler without damage and prepped and painted it satin black to match the stripes. Starting up front, we decided... Starting up front, we decided to install a K&N cold air kit. Relatively inexpensive and easy to install, K&N kits offer good horsepower gains, and better yet, won't void your car's warranty. Adding even more contrast to the car, we decided to tint the windows of our Challenger next so we called friend Scott Kowalski of Kowalski's Glass Tinting in Lakeland, Florida. There are many reasons to tint the glass of a car, and the first being somewhat obvious as we live in Florida and the hot sun really cooks the inside of cars, making them uncomfortable and damaging the interior. Since window tint can lower temperatures substantially, it makes sense given that we're located in a tropical climate. Second, we simply like the way the car looks with dark windows. The Challenger has high sides, and we think it just looks better broken up with contrasting stripes and dark glass. Third, while the new Challenger draws attention, and we do appreciate all the thumbs-up gestures, the tint will actually give us some privacy at times when we don't want to be on display. Fortunately, Scott has a computer program that quickly cut sheets of 3M tinting into individual pieces for each window. Scott recommended the darkest legal tint we could apply, then cut and installed the tint right from his truck in just a couple of hours. This is another modification that doesn't cost much, but really makes a difference in the look and comfort of the vehicle. While we've certainly enjoyed our new Challenger R/T in stock form, we must say that we now like the way it looks, and the way it runs, even better. As we move forward with this project, we look forward to improving both the show and the go, so stay tuned to future issues. And for more photographs of this project be sure to visit moparmusclemagazine.com.  The K&N kit contains all the...  The K&N kit contains all the items necessary for a quick installation. Even taking pictures, we had the kit installed in about an hour.  The inlet air temp sensor...  The inlet air temp sensor must be disconnected, removed, and installed in the new inlet tube.  After loosening the clamps...  After loosening the clamps and disconnecting the breather hose, the factory airbox can be unbolted and removed as one unit.  The instructions provided...  The instructions provided with the kit were clear and concise, with close-up photos of the installation. This made the process easy to accomplish with simple hand tools.  The new inlet tube is obviously...  The new inlet tube is obviously less restrictive than the factory unit, offering inlet air a straight shot, then a smooth arc into the throttle body.  The new airbox really seals...  The new airbox really seals the filter from engine bay heat, and seals to the hood as well for a tight fit. Cool air makes a big difference in performance, so K&N makes every effort to keep engine heat away from the filter and inlet.  A key to the performance of...  A key to the performance of this system is the less restrictive K&N "filtercharger" element. This reusable element can be washed and re-oiled, comes with a great warranty, and can dramatically improve power.  We took our Challenger to...  We took our Challenger to the Lakeland Drag Strip on a Thursday to get some baseline runs and hopefully install our cold air kit for comparison runs. Unfortunately, an oil-down kept us from performing the test the same day, but we went back on a Saturday several weeks later to finish our test.  Returning to the track after...  Returning to the track after installing the K&N kit, the results were dramatic. While the track preparation was definitely better on the Saturday when we ran, track prep alone can't account for all of the half second we picked up in the eighth mile. Needless to say, we're impressed with this induction kit.  Timeslips don't lie, and these...  Timeslips don't lie, and these clearly show the dramatic improvement after installing the K & N cold air induction. We made each pass in the left lane, and on the left, our best baseline pass of 9.61 seconds, on the right, the much improved pass of 8.95 seconds after installing the kit.  Notice that mph was up significantly...  Notice that mph was up significantly as well, demonstrating a fairly dramatic improvement in power. We could say more, but results like these speak for themselves.  Next, we took our car to nearby...  Next, we took our car to nearby Graphic Express so they could design decals for the new Challenger. This gave us a great opportunity to see multiple decal styles and choose the one we liked best for our car.  Graphic Express designed several...  Graphic Express designed several cool decals for the Challenger, as well as stripes and...  ...blackout treatments for...  ...blackout treatments for the hood, making it difficult to decide which ones looked best.  We finally decided on double...  We finally decided on double side stripes based on the look of the '71 Challenger R/T. Since this stripe stops at the rear window, we had JD's Paint and Body shop paint the car's spoiler satin black to match the stripes.  We also decided to have Graphic...  We also decided to have Graphic Express install their hood blackout treatment to add contrast to the car's hood and absorb some of the bright Florida sun.  With our stripes installed,...  With our stripes installed, we headed to Kowalski's Glass Tinting in Lakeland, Florida. Yes, his name is Kowalski, yes, he has a Challenger R/T, coincidence?  With a computer and cutting...  With a computer and cutting equipment right in his truck, owner Scott Kowalski is able to perform his work at any location. He quickly inputted our Challenger into his computer, and had individual tint cut for each window in a matter of minutes.  We really recommend having...  We really recommend having a professional install the tint on your windows. Having the proper equipment makes the job much easier, and professional installation ensures the tint will look good for years to come.  Before installing the window...  Before installing the window tint, Scott had to trick the car into thinking the doors were closed so the windows would go fully up.  Prior to installing the tint,...  Prior to installing the tint, the windows must be thoroughly cleaned. Any dirt trapped between the tint and the window will not only look bad, but will eventually cause the tint to fail.  After cleaning the windows,...  After cleaning the windows, Scott sprays a combination of water and soap onto the window, then applies the tint working it into place and working the water out with a squeegee.  The rear quarter windows and...  The rear quarter windows and rear window are prepped in a similar way, then the pre-cut tint can be applied.  So far, we're very happy with...  So far, we're very happy with the looks and performance of our new Challenger. The car is at home on the streets or at the drag strip...  ...and turns heads as well...  ...and turns heads as well as clicking off impressive elapsed times. Stay tuned to future issues as we have big plans for this fun project.
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