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Hellcat Swapped Dodge Dakota RT Is a Truck Stellantis Is Too Scared To Build

There was a bit of debate back when the Stellantis group became the sole owner of Chrysler and its related brands a year and a half ago. That question was whether a global company based in Amsterdam could build cars that Americans genuinely wanted to buy.
Dodge Dakota Hellcat 12 photos
Photo: John O'Malley
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Well, if they wind up building anything close to what John O'Malley's custom 1999 Dakota R/T swapped with a Hellcat engine, chances are pretty good Americans would buy them. Let's take a look at some of the highlights. Firstly, it has to be noted what a clean and handsome-looking 1999 Dakota this example happens to be. After years of seeing Dakotas of this vintage rust into oblivion, it's a lovely change of pace.

But of course, this truck is all about what's going on under the hood. It's a supercharged 6.2-liter Mopar Hellcat engine famous under the hood of the Charger, Challenger, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, among others. All this considerable power is fed through an 8HP90 eight-speed automatic transmission to an awaiting factory 9.25-inch rear end with a Detroit Truetrac differential.

O'Malley estimates that less than 200 Dodge Dakotas were sold in this stunning blue paint color back in 1999, which might anger a handful of purists out there. But rest assured, when you see how bursting at the seams this truck is with modern technology, including in the interior, it's enough to turn the most jaded skeptic into a believer. The fact the considerable amount of wiring underneath the modern Mopar dash isn't sticking out from under the dashboard is a grand accomplishment within itself.

Based out of Canada, John O' Malley chronicles this build as well as all the other awesome custom builds under his belt on his own YouTube channel. His next project is to do the very same thing he did to this Dakota, but instead to a late 2000s Ram 1500. Now that's a build we can't wait to see.

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