FIRST DRIVE: The HELLCAT-Powered Ram 1500 Rebel “RebHELL” Returns!
Beating Ram's TRX To The Punch...
You might remember back in October, we showcased a wild creation from one of the members of the 5thGenRams forums. Our friend Charles (also known as that_guy_from_br on Instagram) has been trying to beat Ram to the punch by creating the ultimate HELLCAT-powered off-roader, which he calls “RebHELL”.
Starting with some help from our friends over at America’s Most Wanted 4×4 (AMW4x4) in Holly, Michigan, Charles’ Rebel got a transplant of an awesome 707-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI® HELLCAT V8. A lot of creative engineering and re-engineering had to be done to get the HELLCAT powerplant to work right in the Rebel pickup. Far from just a simple engine swap, relocation of entire engine components, software issues, as well as dealing with how to get more cold air to the large HEMI engine were just some of the challenges Charles, his friends, HP Tuners, and the guys over at AMW4x4 have been working on.
Charles came out this summer to our friend Dave Hayes’ private track rental event in Grand Bend, Ontario, to record data on the HELLCAT-powered Rebel down the drag strip. The truck performed well until both sets of axles broke on a second back-to-back hot lap. But it didn’t stop Charles from fixing the truck and inviting us out to Ontario once again to drive his creation on the street as well as take it for a little off-road adventure to see just how good his homemade HELLCAT creation can do.
As you can see in the video above, I had an absolute blast driving this HELLCAT-powered beast. Charles, along with the team at Americas Most Wanted 4×4, did an excellent job on this build. The truck drives much like a stock 2019 Ram Rebel but with a LOT more power and personality. The truck is very well sorted with no error lights on the dash, all of the powertrain and body systems are perfectly integrated, and with the addition of new rear control arms from Core 4×4 Off-Road , Charles has eliminated the rear wheel hop problem, and the truck now has no problem with the stock axles.
If this truck is anything like what we can expect with the upcoming Ram Rebel TRX, I think we are all in for a treat.
2019 Ram 1500 Rebel “RebHELL” Image Gallery:
