Fantasy Time: What Restomod Would You Do?

[Pete05]

Boreham Motorworks announced a new RS200 a couple of years ago, so that's very likely to be built in the near future.

Missed that somehow. Love it.

 

[TexRex]

These are a guilty pleasure of mine that I've mentioned before. There's actually nothing that I dislike about them, but I say guilty because I feel the "sport tuned" suspension and 17" alloy wheels, combined with a 10-15hp increase from a less restrictive exhaust, weren't really enough for it to earn its stripes. So it needs more power. The SS/T and Indy Ram drew inspiration from the Dodge Ram VTS concept which received a Viper V10, but it's a truck and that means the rear tires are unloaded unless you're hauling something, plus, dare I say, a period Viper engine doesn't have enough grunt to match the SS/T's presence? The final iteration had a fair bit more but there's still the matter of a Viper's driveline configuration. Sure, a lot could be done to help it hook up, but that starts to strip away truck functionality real quick.

What about AWD?

💡

710hp through an 8-speed automatic...and AWD.

A custom cradle carries the supercharged Hemi engine, front axle, suspension and brakes with "stupid" struts (no active damping for more analog performance) placed about 3.5" wider to match the Ram's wider footprint, while custom front halfshafts and an electric power rack to reduce pumping losses round out the front end modifications. The rear gets a live axle located with a 4-link and Watts bellcrank, and carried by a more conventional coil suspension, while a Currie 9" Ford housing and third member get stuffed with a 3.70 gear (to match the front, which dictates a non-Dodge axle because those lack a matching ratio) and longer shafts with ends redrilled to 5-on-5 using aftermarket brakes to fill the 20" Hellcat alloys. The beautiful thing is the SS/T's tires are 30" tall, just half an inch shorter than the Hellcat's, so that wider rubber fills the wells nicely. Inside, the dash gets tidied up and materials get upgraded to leather and microsuede, but the whole arrangement is largely left alone. Body is also fairly standard, but the hood, grille, roof skin and tailgate skin are replicated in silver aluminized carbon fiber with Emerald Green Metallic sprayed over everything except the stripes so that the material shows through in place of decals.

 

[Pete05]

These are a guilty pleasure of mine that I've mentioned before. There's actually nothing that I dislike about them, but I say guilty because I feel the "sport tuned" suspension and 17" alloy wheels, combined with a 10-15hp increase from a less restrictive exhaust, weren't really enough for it to earn its stripes. So it needs more power. The SS/T and Indy Ram drew inspiration from the Dodge Ram VTS concept which received a Viper V10, but it's a truck and that means the rear tires are unloaded unless you're hauling something, plus, dare I say, a period Viper engine doesn't have enough grunt to match the SS/T's presence? The final iteration had a fair bit more but there's still the matter of a Viper's driveline configuration. Sure, a lot could be done to help it hook up, but that starts to strip away truck functionality real quick.

What about AWD?

💡

710hp through an 8-speed automatic...and AWD.

A custom cradle carries the supercharged Hemi engine, front axle, suspension and brakes with "stupid" struts (no active damping for more analog performance) placed about 3.5" wider to match the Ram's wider footprint, while custom front halfshafts and an electric power rack to reduce pumping losses round out the front end modifications. The rear gets a live axle located with a 4-link and Watts bellcrank, and carried by a more conventional coil suspension, while a Currie 9" Ford housing and third member get stuffed with a 3.70 gear (to match the front, which dictates a non-Dodge axle because those lack a matching ratio) and longer shafts with ends redrilled to 5-on-5 using aftermarket brakes to fill the 20" Hellcat alloys. The beautiful thing is the SS/T's tires are 30" tall, just half an inch shorter than the Hellcat's, so that wider rubber fills the wells nicely. Inside, the dash gets tidied up and materials get upgraded to leather and microsuede, but the whole arrangement is largely left alone. Body is also fairly standard, but the hood, grille, roof skin and tailgate skin are replicated in silver aluminized carbon fiber with Emerald Green Metallic sprayed over everything except the stripes so that the material shows through in place of decals.

I like your way of thinking.

I think the biggest hurdle would be patching the electronics of the driveline to the rest of the wiring in the vehicle, with many hours of talented work needed on the patch looms.
It's just a this century auto electrics default response of throwing a tantrum without a response to Check #877.
Good idea going with 'stupid' struts then.
I don't know the overdrive ratios of the 8-speed auto, but with 30" rubber and the lunar surface like power and torque curves from that supercharged Hemi, I'm betting you could get away with a shorter final drive than a 3.70.
I know from my own calculations for my Holden that 7000rpm on 18"s with a close-ratio T-56 Magnum and 4.11 final, gave close to a theoretical 180mph +.
The all wheel drive would certainly give cat on carpet levels of traction.
The interior reads like a beautiful place to operate either going for an enjoyable cruise, or up on the wheel having a fang down that favourite stretch of tarmac.
The traditionalist in me says I would have to do something with a Hemi hero colouring in with a sinister black on some level.

 

[TexRex]

I like your way of thinking.

I think the biggest hurdle would be patching the electronics of the driveline to the rest of the wiring in the vehicle, with many hours of talented work needed on the patch looms.
It's just a this century auto electrics default response of throwing a tantrum without a response to Check #877.
Good idea going with 'stupid' struts then.
I don't know the overdrive ratios of the 8-speed auto, but with 30" rubber and the lunar surface like power and torque curves from that supercharged Hemi, I'm betting you could get away with a shorter final drive than a 3.70.
I know from my own calculations for my Holden that 7000rpm on 18"s with a close-ratio T-56 Magnum and 4.11 final, gave close to a theoretical 180mph +.
The all wheel drive would certainly give cat on carpet levels of traction.
The interior reads like a beautiful place to operate either going for an enjoyable cruise, or up on the wheel having a fang down that favourite stretch of tarmac.
The traditionalist in me says I would have to do something with a Hemi hero colouring in with a sinister black on some level.

The 8HP95 has a 4.71 first and direct drive is pushed all the way to sixth with only two overdrive gears like a T56. I've driven a Hellcat Durango and it pulls awful hard. I also gather there are just no shorter gears available on the aftermarket...certainly that was the case a few years ago as a buddy with one bemoaned their absence. The truck would be lighter than the SUV just by virtue of being a truck, and that would also help.