Carson Duba, a.k.a. EverythingWithWheels on YouTube, has a thing for Predator engines. It says so right on his YouTube About page: Let’s fix something or put a Predator in it! Words to live by, truly. For Duba, the most recent manifestation of this mantra is a vintage Dodge Ram that runs on a US$120 212-cc Predator motor, a power plant designed for vacuums, mowers and pressure washers. Designed for, perhaps, but not relegated to, because the motor moves this little truck just fine, forward and backward, at speeds up to 32 km/h. When Duba’s friend who’d had it kicking around the yard gave it to him, the early ’80s Dodge Ram 50 had a four-cylinder engine. That was scooped out clean to make room for Duba’s more-modest solution. The 6.5-horsepower motor sits on a custom-made platform with its throttle connected to the vehicle’s pedal. It took some negotiation to get the clutch, 60-tooth sprocket and chain to ship power to the five-speed manual transmission and lug the heavy truck around. But, well, take a look at the results! Possibly the best feature? The fact that it looks and drives like a truck, but still starts like a lawnmower, with a pull cord that’s fed through the body and pulled from under the front driver’s side wheel.
Origin: YouTuber fits vintage Dodge pickup with 212-cc lawn mower engine
Dodge
This police-spec Dodge Durango has been kitted out with a 797-hp ‘Redeye’ V8
This year’s 2019 Tire Rack One Lap of America Presented by Grassroots Motorsports Magazine kicks off May 4 in South Bend, Ind., and Dodge//SRT is defending the Dodge Durango SRT’s 2018 One Lap truck/SUV class title, upping its game with a new Durango SRT Pursuit concept called “Speed Trap.” Dodge Dodge early May took the wraps off of a 797-horsepower Durango SRT, complete with a police-car livery, built to compete in the famous One Lap of America. The law-enforcement-spec SUV is a bit of cheeky fun from FCA, as evidenced by its nickname, Speed Trap. The vehicle will be driven in the event by David Carr, an SRT engineer, and David Hakim, a photographer, who also competed in 2018. Speed Trap is based on a Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit of the kind usually sold only to police fleets, but more than a few modifications have been done to it. The largest one is obviously the heart transplant: a 797-horsepower supercharged V8 borrowed from the Challenger Hellcat Redeye sits underhood, now, offering a serious bump up from the 475 horsepower the truck comes with standard. The high-flow cat-back exhaust is brand-new, and the truck sits 0.6-inches lower on 20-inch wheels to improve handling. Meaty 305-section Pirelli tires help put the power down, or create a big smoke-show, if desired. One Lap of America, for those that don’t know, is exactly what it sounds like: one lap around the United States, made up of visits to several race tracks and interesting events along the way. Think of it as a sequel to the Cannonball Run of decades past, which saw people race across the U.S. as fast as they could. When Brock Yates originally started the Cannonball Run, it was, of course, highly illegal, but at least there was a good chance your car was faster than most police cruisers back in the day. Now, with Dodge building cop cars like this, we wouldn’t bet on any sort of luck in that regard. One Lap of America also keeps people from racing on the streets, trading that stuff in for timed runs on certified tracks. Dodge is a regular competitor in the event, and hopes to defend its title in the Truck/SUV class it won last year in a standard Durango
Origin: This police-spec Dodge Durango has been kitted out with a 797-hp ‘Redeye’ V8
FCA recalling 300K Dodge Dart sedans due to rollaway risk
FCA is calling back roughly 20,000 Darts with automatic transmissions in Canada over rollaway risks.Handout / Dodge Fiat Chrysler is recalling more than 300,000 vehicles in North America because a transmission problem could cause them to roll away unexpectedly. The recall covers Dodge Dart compact cars from 2013 through 2016 with six-speed automatic transmissions. According to Transport Canada, just over 20,000 of the affected cars are in Canada. FCA says a bushing can fail, causing the shifter cable to come loose from the transmission. That means when a driver shifts into park or another gear, the gear may not change and the car could roll away. Fiat Chrysler says it doesn’t know of any related crashes or injuries. But it advises owners to shut off the engine and set the parking brake before leaving the cars. Dealers will replace the bushing at no cost to owners. The recall is expected to start May
Origin: FCA recalling 300K Dodge Dart sedans due to rollaway risk
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