Building the First-Ever K24-Powered Dodge Charger Hellcat

Blending JDM engineering with American muscle, this K24 Hellcat rewrites the rules of engine swaps.

The K24 engine is legendary for its reliability and ability to make big power. It has been used in countless engine swaps over the years. We have seen this little powerhouse dropped into everything from a Ferrari 308 to a Porsche 911. But what we have here is a K24-swap unlike anything we have seen before. This time the engine is not going into relatively lightweight sports car. It is being dropped into a Dodge Charger Hellcat. Can a full fat American muscle car work as a K24 Hellcat?

That is exactly what the folks at the ScrapLifeLee YouTube channel wanted to find out. They have a Charger Hellcat that originally made 797 horsepower with its supercharged 6.2L Hemi V8 engine. The 2.4L K24 is giving up a lot of displacement to the Hemi. Can it really power a 4,500-pound lump of American iron? Well, it will be fun to find out.

Will it Fit?

Open the hood of the Charger and you are greeted with a massive empty engine bay. It is a space that is significantly larger than what is found in the 2004 Acura TSX that the K24 was taken from. So, there should be no worries about the little 4-cylinder fitting in an engine bay designed for a massive supercharged V8, right?

Wrong. The length and width are not a problem at all. But it is the height of the Honda engine that presents a challenge. The oil pan on the K24 actually makes the engine taller than the Hemi in a stock Hellcat. This is not an easy issue to solve. But with a lot of determination and fabrication the team manages to get the engine to fit inside the Dodge. But even with that challenge overcome, there is still more to figure out.

Turbo Time

There is no way a stock K24 would be able to give the Hellcat adequate performance. So, a big 68mm turbocharger is going to force feed a huge amount of air into the engine. The problem is how is that big boy going to fit? Time for some more creativity and fabrication. But like the engine itself, the team gets it to fit.

The same goes for the new intake manifold that is going to be used. This is not a simple engine swap. But at the end of the day everything is fitting, and the new engine is about 340 pounds compared to the 680-pound Hemi.

Less weight is good. Although once this engine is making full power and sending it all to the rear wheels, when accelerating, there is going to be less weight pushing down on the front tires. It could make for some lively handling, but that is a problem for another day.

Fire it Up

The crew builds a custom exhaust for the Hellcat, and the engine is in place. Things are looking good. We can’t wait to hear it and see how it performs. Unfortunately, we do have to wait. The fuel system, cooling system, ECU and more still need to be installed. But the finish line is in sight and hopefully soon we can see and hear the world’s first Honda-powered Hellcat.

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Joe Kucinski

Joe has been obsessed with cars since he got his very first Matchbox toy in the ‘70s. In 2003, he found a new obsession in track days that led to obtaining his SCCA competition license in 2015. In 2019, he became a certified driving instructor for the National Auto Sport Association. His love for all things four wheels has never wavered, whether it's driving some of the best cars in the world on the racetrack, tackling 2,000-mile road trips in 2-seat sports cars or being winched off the side of a mountaintop in a Jeep. Writing for the suite of Internet Brands Auto Communities sites, including Rennlist.com, Ford Truck Enthusiasts, 6 Speed and more allows him to share that knowledge and passion with others.