2008 Replica/Kit Makes Charger R/T

Description

If you have been following vehicle trends lately trucks are king and Ranchero/ El Camino style Utes based on cars are very hot.... You get the handling of car, a 1000 pound or so bed capacity, and better fuel economy.   You can actually own an affordable truck that doesn't need a step ladder to boost your wife in or who's bed hits you in the chest for "easy loading."
So I have now been building kit and component vehicles for over 50 years.  I was an original test builder for Bradly GT back in the early 1970s and just never stopped building and rebuilding cars and trucks to be lighter, have higher performance, and just be a more "exotic" ride.  I started feeling pretty confident and began doing some shows locally and nationally about 35 years ago.  I've gotten into a routine of building a new project every 2 years.  My grandson and his best friend are part of my build team and these guys are awesome.  This truck conversion was built during the pandemic so we all had plenty of time to get a good level of build quality that can be driven everyday. To my knowledge this is the ONLY truck conversion that is fully documented and can be seen on the internet.  I am a Master level wood conservator but I also am one of the moderators over at the Autobody 101 Forums.  My complete truck build with even the accesories that I built from scratch are right here in a full 20 page breakdown....
https://www.autobody101.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=27971
In this build we used double the amount of fasteners, critical areas received both alternating stainless steel bolts, aluminum rivets, and stainless steel rivets.  The wiring harness did not receive the normal pvc plastic wrap, instead we went with self-fusing 3/32 inch thick silicone wrap. We were careful to trim as closely as possible to get to a lighter weight from the cab and back.  We pulled the heavy large rear exhaust resonators and installed a set of Blastin' Bobs Fat Pipes which are much lighter and make that Hemi more lively, cut any drone at highway speeds, but still give a throaty rumble....  We have taken a little over 300 pounds off with this conversion.  Original Dodge chrome wheels (20" from the factory) were kept and currently have Goodyear tires in good condition.  I did also create/open up the rear underbed area to keep the space saver spare and allow fast access to the rear mounted battery.  This was a great car to begin with.... the R/T package of course has that Hemi 5.7 which is running more like 380 h.p. in it's current tune. We have it set up with an accelorator controller which changes with a button right on the dash.  You have City, Highway, Sport, Sport+,and Racing settings.  Very effective for easy launches and street performance or punch in Highway for great mpg on your trips.  On our last trip we were fully loaded in the bed area, a/c on, and cruise set at 80.  I got 26 mpg in the Highway setting.  CD, Sat, AmFm, Infinity system, with Bluetooth sound feeder for your phone. Audio system has been tweeked for better sound in the now smaller truck interior space.  Seats are full power leather, 2 level heated units, no rips, no tears.  Power pedal cluster moves back and forth at a touch of a button.  Power windows with one touch down.  The sunroof has been kept but as in all the Smyth conversions it is not operable.  It could be made into a pop-up unit if you were a little creative.....
So some extras.... You will not find any of the Smyth kit trucks with this bed cover.  It is a hard cover built completely by us in shop.  It uses marine grade resins along with several layers of quality matte.  It has a double rubber seal system around the perimeter.  It seals well enough to keep things dry in your bed even during heavy rain conditions.  It can be easily unbolted in about 10 minutes if you need it off.  On top of that bed cover is a wing again built by us in-shop using marine epoxy resins and a kevlar/carbon fiber woven material.  The entire wing weighs in at 7 pounds but could easily support 1000 pounds of weight.  I felt this wing was aerodynamically needed as the the lighter rear of these trucks does tend to slightly lift at higher speeds.  My trucks now clamps itself to the road past 70 mph.  Feels great....
The paint.... and yes, you are looking at REAL PAINT.   This is not a wrap.  These pictures show 2 years of exposure and about 13000 miles of driving. Hasn't budged, hasn't faded.....nothing.  I take it out almost every Friday afternoon for my weekend play and put it back on Sunday nights.  I run some parts during the weekdays at the local Home Depot for my restoration business.  We also take it on trips and hit about 6 states with it.  Other than that it stays under lock and key in my heated steel building.  I do not take it out when the roads are painted white with Ohio salt and brine.  And, that paint, we call it Radioactive Nebulae. It is a true bi flop paint going from bright purple (similar to the Plum Crazy back in the old days) to a bright metallic blue in low light.  I have the formula right here and an outline of the steps which create it.  I will also give you a quantity of the dry colorants which would be handy if you wanted to build a matching trailer or other accessories. The clear coat is a high quality hydrophobic matt clear. It uses the highest strength UV resistant resins.  The hydrophobic characteristic means it is an anti-moisture self cleaning surface.  Water jumps off of it like it hit a frying pan.  Water also takes any micro dirt with it. While the other guys are re-dressing their  cars after that rain at a show you will simply take about 10 minutes and hit your truck with a waterless matte detailer.... yes, it is that simple.  Truck has never been near a carwash.  Every 6 months or so take 30 minutes and hit it with Dr. Beasly's matte sealer and you are done.  That's it, no waxing or glazing ever....
Mechanicals and Maintenance- Many years ago kit cars had a rather deservedly notorius reputation for unreliability.  These Chargers were a "clean sheet of paper" design under the brand ownship of Mercedes.  This  was a rust free example to start with and every single bolt we pulled had no rust and many still had thread sealers still on them.  Before doing any cutting we took the car on a shakeout 500 mile trip and began scanning for codes.  We replaced ALL of the O2 sensors with OEM Denso models.  We replaced all of the coil packs and spark plugs.  We replaced all of the engine mounts and their OEM bolts including the transmission mount.  We opened up and serviced the oil on the rear differential.  We replaced the front struts with higher quality units.  The brakes were changed out all around to ventilated/cross drilled/slotted rotor with carbon fiber blend pads.  The brakes were carefully broken in over a 500 mile period.  We run nothing but high mileage type synthetic oil and change that out at 5000 mile intervals.  There are no current or stored codes on the car.  In fact we just go back from the Truck Nationals at Carlisle. It was a great trip.  You can drive this vehicle anywhere.  Oh, and speaking of long trips.  You might notice I am running a Novi Flex style front protector.  These thing are life savers for keeping the front end both clean and undamage.  I've hit a swarm of locusts, a bird, and the remnants of a steel belted tire with this cover and nothing made it through.  Take 5 minutes and snap it off, hand wash, dry back out in the sun and you are good to go.....
Shipping- Well, it's up to you.  You can simply drive in with a buddy and drive this truck home.  I am also about 20 minutes from the Columbus Ohio International airport.  Fly in, I'll pick you up, and drive home.  If you want to ship I'd recommend using U Ship on the internet.  I've shipped at least a half dozen cars in the last 10 years with their various carriers. You can get an idea of the pricing if you put your shipping out for open bid.  Saves you about 1/2 the cost of the larger carriers and you get the vehicle a lot faster.  Just make sure they can verify insurance.  I will, of course, work with any carrier of your choosing to make sure he is properly loaded at this end.  Since I own my business whichis located on this property I can be available 24/7 to get your carrier loaded.
Okay, if you are a tire kicker or scammer I'd look elsewhere. If you are serious and need to see it that is fine but if you are just wanting to see a Smyth Ute go visit Mark's factory.....
And, here is some legal mumbo jumbo to read....
This vehicle is being sold as is, with no expressed, implied, or written warranties. It is the buyer's responsibility prior to sale for any inspections or assessment of vehicle condition. Although this vehicle is currently in compliance with State of Ohio emissions lawsit is still the responsibility of the buyer to have this vehicle incompliance with his local emissions and safety laws once ownership has been transferred. If you do not understand anything mentioned above about this vehicle please ask! I reserve the right to end the listing if the vehicle is no longer available for sale. Although I have tried to accurately and honestly represent the features and condition of this vehicle I cannot guarantee that accuracy.
So that's about it.  I've been on ebay a long time and have 100% feedback.  I'm also a Wooden Artifacts Expert with the American Institute for Conservation so dealing ethically is a big thing for me.  You could easily spend 3 to 4 times what I am asking for this truck on a new one or spend what I am asking and add in another 190 hours of build time to recreate it.  All I know is that it is a rare vehicle that can empty out the entire staff of a Taco Bell just to look at a truck... This is that truck.....