When Toyota built the legendary turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine in the early 1990s, no one could have predicted that more than 30 years later tuners and car enthusiasts would be swapping it into different types of vehicles.
One such vehicle with the popular JDM engine swap is a 1968 Dodge Charger known as the "Death Metal Charger" With over 96,000 examples of the second generation Charger built, Dodge Chargers are no stranger to modifications. Even though popular modifications to the 1968 Charger include a more traditional Supercharger upgrade, the owner Jay Meagher decided to pull the original V8 and add something very unique.
In a YouTube video, Finnegan's Garage gets to have fun with this unusual 2JZ swapped Dodge Charger at Iron Mountain ATV Park in Dahlonega, Georgia.
Not The Usual 2JZ Swap
Even though Dodge built nearly 100,000 of the second-generation Chargers, fully built restomod examples are selling for $200,000. However, this 2JZ is not that type of build. This is clearly a driver's car and Finnegan's garage has no problem doing burnouts and throwing it around Iron Mountain ATV Park.
Hemi Engine Vs 2JZ Swap
The paint and bodywork of this 1968 Dodge Charger have no restoration and nor should they. Visible paint chips, dents, and even rust show that the owner enjoys pushing the Charger wherever it goes. Some builds love abuse and this is clearly one of them. Being able to beat up on a high horsepower car like this without having to worry about something breaking only adds to the charm of this build.
With a 2JZ engine swap, there are very few downsides. You get Toyota reliability in a package that weighs considerably less than the original big block Hemi V8. Supra and other 2JZ swapped cars prove to make well over 1000 HP, so there is that too.
This build is "only" making around 500 hp, but that is still around 200 hp more than the original motor made. With a few minor modifications, the build could easily get close to and surpass the 1000 hp benchmark.
The only downside is that putting a JDM motor into an American Muscle icon may seem like sacrilege to Dodge Charger purists. If you don't mind losing that V8 rumble and replacing it with a smooth inline-6 cylinder, this type of build makes a lot of sense.