Project Super Trooper

I think we are ALL watching this one.

Just a small quick project today. When attempting to clean the coolant system expansion tank of brownish stains on the inside of it when doing the Hellcat airbox swap. I discovered a hairline crack about an inch long. I also wasn't able to get the expansion tank very clean due to the small opening and chamber like baffles that prevent any rag or brush from access. The crack didn't leak water while cleaning and coolant level didn't drop I don't think the crack was an issue but may have become one with heat and pressure in the future so I ordered a new tank from Rockauto. It arrived today.

Old tank

I used a marker to highlight the cold level fluid filler marks on the new tank since it makes it easier to see and matches the washer fill cap markings.

I also swapped out the new cap for the original cap since the new cap was a 16lb cap and the original is an 18 lb cap. I swapped over the rubber mount bumper and installed it.

Fluid added and cap reinstalled.

Quick and easy swap that took less than 30 mins to do.

Another quick,easy and cheap mod today. I added the factory foglight bezel to the front bumper cover for a large air opening to the cavity under the Hellcat or stock airbox. This area is fed usually by 3 small holes smaller than the diameter of my index finger and by a filter like mesh in the wheelwell liner.

Factory non foglight block off plate

Foglight plate I picked up from Rock Auto for $7.50

That now provides an unobstructed 4" plus opening on the high pressure front of the car.

I am not sure if I want the function over form look of just the one side hole opening or both sides for symmetry. Thoughts?

I also shot a little black spray paint on the edges of the hole inside so no silver was visible.

Would complete removal of the fog light plate give you a free 8" opening?

I swear these cars look better everytime I see one.

In reply to JohnRW1621:

No unfortunately it just has a a almost round hole approx 5" or so in diameter and a flat area next to it as part of the bumper cover for mounting. The opening could be cut to match the shape but then it would look unfinished.

Mad_Ratel wrote: I swear these cars look better everytime I see one.

That's exactly what I was just thinking. That front view looks downright mean. I think the silver color with the black grill is GREAT!

Yeah the looks are growing on me more and more. I am looking at doing a small lip spoiler in black and possibly a matte black vinyl roof wrap. The roof wrap would cover the 4 black plastic plugs where antennas were as well as some scratches and I think give it a more mean look.

Anyone good at photoshop?

In reply to Zeitgeist:

Let me try

maybe a little too aggresive, but it looks pretty cool either way

Good job. The one I am looking at follows the front lower bumper lines pretty closely.

Here is a link.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-2014-Dodge-Charger-Daytona-Mopar-Type-Front-Chin-Lip-Spoiler-POLY-URETHANE-/121800295755?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275

Any chance you could try the matte black roof wrap?

I bet it would look alot better if a had a good pic w/ the front of the car, doesn't help that my PS skills are e36 m3

After a freezing and rainy day yesterday I got the car out for some new pics today.

I am trying to figure out how best to convert the R/T console to be better looking and more functional since I have the column shifter and the floor shift plate looks ugly. I am leaning towards removing the plate and finding or building a box that fits the opening out of kydex or similar plastic material. Maybe wood or fiberglas?

I also got a Z Automotive Tazer today and installed it. This device plugs into the OBDII port and changes various Can/Bus data adding or deleting features the car may have had or never come with. Some things it can do are

Line lock

Light show flashing lights on/off 1-5 times at various speeds

100% disable Traction control, stability control and ABS

Add SRT performance pages such as 0-60,Brake distance,G meter and 1/8 or 1/4 mile timers

Add sport mode

Adjust RPM transmission auto shifts at.

I installed and played with it some then went for a drive. The good is that even with Pursuit 4.3" screen you get most of the features and they all work (Haven't tried line lock or 100% off safety nannies) Sport mode is decent for higher rpm and firmer shifts and it holds a gear longer even at lighter throttle positions and doesn't rush to get into high gear. The timers work and are easy to use. I ran a 5.6 0-60 and 13.9 1/4 mile according to the timers with too much wheelspin but who knows how accurate they are.

The only real negative so far is that I lost my autostick or manual shifting function. Not a huge deal but I like being able to hold a gear and manually shift at my chosen RPM when I want. This also turns of Eco mode so no 4 cyl odd sounds when MDS is active and better response. I will contact Z automotive and see if I did something to cause this or it is a software program issue that can be changed to keep autostick and sport mode. If not it is easy enough to turn off sport mode.

Taking project Super Trooper to PRI tomorrow. Lets hope it isn't the first snow drive for me in it.

Awesome project. I, for one, love the functional look...no symmetry needed

Looks more like the Hellcat with its asymmetrical headlight intake also

I worked on the center console the last 2 days trying to get the 12V power outlets working, clean up the look and maybe add some more function to the installed R/T console. Most of it went well some of it didn't. First here is what it looked like with floor shifter plate in place.

To start the console has a 12V outlet inside the lid to go along with a USB port and headphone audio jack. It also has a 12V outlet on the rear for rear seat passengers. There is a third 12V outlet in a small storage bin under the HVAC controls. None of these worked except the USB outlet and that for some reason doesn't work as a phone charger but does work fine for MP3s.

I pulled the console apart removing the shifter plate, both side panels next to it where it meets the center stack and then finally the console. Nothing was hard with 4 screws holding in the console( 2 front and 2 rear where it should be 4 rear and 4 front) and the rest was clips. Once it was out I found the console had several connectors attached to it and a couple loose connectors under it. There was also 2 connectors under the front storage bin also not connected. As can be seen in the upper left the ESC module was laying loose but connected with no cut wires. I placed it on the studs I believe it is normally mounted to the tunnel on. The ESC doesn't work but I am not in a hurry to get it working either.

This "RF antenna" box was on a bracket on 2 studs but no nuts holding it down. Next to it were the 2 plugs not connected under the center storage bin.

Here is the underside of the shifter plate assembly. I planned on cutting the shifter pattern and adjacent PRNDL indicator section out and replace it with a second storage bin.

Disassembled and partially cut apart.

Here you can see the plate ready for cutting the opening for the clear storage bin which later would be flocked inside and painted outside.

http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae116/zeitgeist888/Charger%20console%20016_zpsgjsr3ffo.jpg

This was going well with a nice storage bin located, the shifter parts cut away to allow for clearance and then my fabrication dyslexia got the best of me when I measured once and cut twice making the opening too large. This wouldn't have killed it if there was more material to work with along the edges but it was pretty much maxed out. Plan B time.

I had some aluminum sheet stock left over form my Exocet build so I made a panel to cover the shifter plate assembly. I bent a gentle curve into it and then covered it with matte black vinyl wrap to match the dash bezel.

Once it was covered I used double sided tape to attach it to the shifter plate.

With the shifter plate done I turned to the wiring issues. I removed the console to the kitchen table for warmth and better working conditions. There I found a lot of extra wiring unused on the console and connectors with no match for the R/T version to Pursuit plugs. This was all removed and I soldered up a new more simple harness for the 12V outlets. I cut down the console harness to just have the USB and headphone audio jack connectors. Then I found a 12V constant on wire and connected the 12V outlet in the center stack storage bin. Everything was layed in the car and electrical connections plugged in. A check of each 12V outlet,audio jack and USB showed everything was working. The console was put in place, secured with screws 4 front and 3 rear and buttoned up.

It seems to match the dash bezel very nicely.

Here it is opened up showing the outlets inside the armrest storage area.

Here you can see the third 12V outlet under the HVAC controls in the small lower storage bin.

It will be nice to have a working 12V outlet to charge the cellphone let alone 3 of them. The cleaner look of the blank shifter plate area looks better than I expected so the loss of another storage bin isn't so bad of a trade off.

The blank looks way better than a bin IMO. Nice work!

Thanks. I'm pretty happy with it. I think I will look more seriously for a 3.73 or 3.91 diff from a 6 speed Challenger and a Diablosport Trinity. I also need to find some wider sticky tires or tires and wheels.

I think I am going to try and do a matte or semi gloss plasti-dip for the roof. At least then is it doesn't look good I can remove it.

That big blank plate over the shifter hole looks about perfect for a cell phone or GPS mount.

EvanR wrote: That big blank plate over the shifter hole looks about perfect for a cell phone or GPS mount.

It would work well for either. I am looking at making a cellphone mount out of an old cellphone belt clip and putting a stud on the rear to fit into the mic mounts on the dash. They are already in decent location not to block the vents too much or the other controls. I would like to do a tablet for navigation,Waze, my radar detector app YaV1, etc but I don't want to loose utility nor have things look tacked on. A tablet would also mean linking it with a cellphone for data connection or new tablet with it's own which means more expense.

I am loving this project so far. I had no idea the Z Automotive Tazer was a thing.

Man, I want one of these again.

SilverFleet wrote: I am loving this project so far. I had no idea the Z Automotive Tazer was a thing. Man, I want one of these again.

They also have a similar device called Tranzformer that controls transmission factors such as shift points,firmness, downshifting,manual shift controls etc. that has all the features of the Tazer for like $50 more. It does require splicing 4-6 connections into the Can/Bus wiring but pretty straight forward. I didn't get it as the diff gear swap requires a Diablosport tune or HP Tuners so I thought it might be redundant and may cause issues. I'll find out.

I got a Diablosport Trinty T1000 for adding a tune today. More to follow.