Here it is in all of its glory. Picking a cars color can be a challenge, but not in this case. As luck would have it, Pete’s son just happened to have a 09 Magnum Hot Wheels car and it was green. With toy in hand, off to the local Sikkens vendor to come up with the paint code, then off to Lakeside Collision where shop owner and painter Tyler Pippin sprayed it. The added graphics are just right, not overstated. Add some Eagle Alloys and the car looks like it could have been driven during the 70’s.

Pop the hood, and even from this angle welcome the new millennium. Here is the most obvious change, the 06 Magnum 5.7 Hemi.

What makes this swap even more interesting is that Pete didn’t even have to buy a radiator hose to do the install. With the cross member installed everything just went back where it belonged. The motor and trans mounts were there and all of the additional features that were plugged into the wiring harness came over as well. The computer sensors had no idea they were in a different car. Here is something to note- there are no two connectors that are alike in this car so it was impossible to cross anything up.

Moving to the back it’s all 73

The only body mods were to fill the rear exhaust holes as the pipes now dump out the side.

Once past the door sills, you enter a world that is all 06 Magnum.

From this angle you would have no idea that you are looking at a 70’s vintage car. After many hours of careful cutting and fitting, the 06 dash is fitted up to the frame work moved over from the donor car. Most noticeable is the decreased depth. The air bags are in place, the factory stereo still pounds, the gauges all work, and the AC blows cold air. The thing about new cars is that if everything isn’t hooked up right , the car lets you know, no shortcuts can be taken.

Electric windows, door locks, a remote key fob, everything came over from the donor car and completed the harness. The door panels required some creative trimming around the front edge so the door panel would form around the dash edge. Other than that it looks like original equipment.

The seats are 06 vintage and are the original leather, the six way powered and heated seats work as they did in the show room. Actually the complete interior looks like it came out of a current show room. Pete tells of a moment that was the best compliment he received about this transition. At a local car show a patron was overheard saying to another, “I can’t believe they let brand new cars into a rod and custom car show?” He was obviously not a follower of Mopars, but the caliber of this transplant was enough to fool him. Even if you are a purist, you have to admit the fit and finish has turned this once rusted hulk into a very nice car.

Here’s where the project got a little tricky, it has to do with computers and sensors. The car has front discs, they came with the cross member, but it now has 2 wheel speed sensors per side on the. Confused? Let me explain.

The rear gear in the Magnum was a 282 ratio, change this and the computer throws the transmission “limp Mode ‘’ and stays there. Next put larger wheels on the back (a 70’s thing for sure) and the computer does the same thing. Stand on the throttle (it does have a Hemi) and the spinning tires are noticed by the computer again.

So what’s a guy to do? The ever thinking Pete first finds a 276 rear gear for the stock 73 rear axle, close enough that the computer is duped. Return the bigger tires for diameters that match the original diameter on the 06, and now you see why the sensors are in the front, they just see that the wheels are going round and round, now Pete can burn the hides off this thing and that “control freak” computer has no idea about the fun he is having.

There are plans to move the Magnum’s rear discs to the rear and replace the drum brakes but Pete is having way too much fun driving the car for now.

So what’s next? Pete is already predicting a long cold winter and with that plans to take a 67 Camaro and turn it 2010. I wonder how that will work? We will certainly be around to follow that build.

If you happen to look in your rear view mirror and see this grill approaching rapidly, remember “ That thing has a Hemi! “ and you better get out of the way.