Beefcake Racing has been providing late-model Mustang owners with power-enhancing performance upgrades since 2011, and the company’s proprietor, Terry Reeves, puts the products to the test by competing in NMRA events across the country. Now, Reeves has focused his attention on the late-model HEMI market, and is using his 2021 Dodge Challenger Wide-body Scat Pack to do it.
“We bought it with the intention of putting a Vortech on it,” said Reeves, whose company happens to be the largest Vortech dealer in the United States.
During the first round of upgrades, Reeves’ Smoke Show Challenger received an Air-Lift Suspension, Viking Crusader rear shocks, Driveshaft Shop driveshaft and rear axles, a differential brace, and an off-the-shelf Vortech supercharger kit that employs a V-3 SI head unit.
On the Vortech calibration, the blown 6.4-liter GEN III HEMI put down 585 rwhp at a mild 6-7 psi of boost. Kurt Dusterhoff of Dusterhoff Tuning then worked on the calibration using HP Tuners software and was able to pull out a few more ponies, while setting the stage for the next round of upgrades.
A new Fore Innovations fuel system was installed, along with Fuel Injector Clinic 1,000cc injectors to provide the appropriate fuel volume when the combination was switched over to E85 fuel. With those changes, Reeves piloted the Challenger to a 10.55 quarter-mile time.
“Over the past winter, we built a short-block, did a valve job on the heads, added a custom cam, and stepped up to a self-lubricated V-3 JT-trim head unit,” Reeves told us. “It flows 150 more cfm and at 12.5 psi of boost, made 842 rwhp. I was pretty happy with that.”
Reeves also upgraded the injectors to 1440 units, and while he does have his hands on a larger still head unit from Vortech, he wants to refine this current setup.
To make sure the Challenger has a decent amount of traction, Reeves upgraded the rolling stock with Weld V-Series 18x6 front wheels and 17x11 Vitesse rear hoops wrapped with Mickey Thompson MT 315/50/17 drag radials. And one thing he came to realize was that the 2021 Challengers received a brake caliper change that prevents the use of Weld’s 18x6 drag wheels, so he turned to Baer Brakes to get everything to work together while still providing the necessary stopping power.
Reeves entrusted Finish Line Performance for all of the installation work, and everything that he has had installed can be purchased through Beefcake Racing.
Next up is more track testing and dyno time, and Reeves is expecting the car to turn out some mid-9-second timeslips or quicker. After that, he has a bigger Vortech head unit for it that made an additional 300 hp more on his Coyote-powered Mustang, and expects the combination to churn out 1,100-1,200 hp.
“We bought it with the intention of putting a Vortech on it,” said Reeves, whose company happens to be the largest Vortech dealer in the United States.
During the first round of upgrades, Reeves’ Smoke Show Challenger received an Air-Lift Suspension, Viking Crusader rear shocks, Driveshaft Shop driveshaft and rear axles, a differential brace, and an off-the-shelf Vortech supercharger kit that employs a V-3 SI head unit.
On the Vortech calibration, the blown 6.4-liter GEN III HEMI put down 585 rwhp at a mild 6-7 psi of boost. Kurt Dusterhoff of Dusterhoff Tuning then worked on the calibration using HP Tuners software and was able to pull out a few more ponies, while setting the stage for the next round of upgrades.
A new Fore Innovations fuel system was installed, along with Fuel Injector Clinic 1,000cc injectors to provide the appropriate fuel volume when the combination was switched over to E85 fuel. With those changes, Reeves piloted the Challenger to a 10.55 quarter-mile time.
“Over the past winter, we built a short-block, did a valve job on the heads, added a custom cam, and stepped up to a self-lubricated V-3 JT-trim head unit,” Reeves told us. “It flows 150 more cfm and at 12.5 psi of boost, made 842 rwhp. I was pretty happy with that.”
Reeves also upgraded the injectors to 1440 units, and while he does have his hands on a larger still head unit from Vortech, he wants to refine this current setup.
To make sure the Challenger has a decent amount of traction, Reeves upgraded the rolling stock with Weld V-Series 18x6 front wheels and 17x11 Vitesse rear hoops wrapped with Mickey Thompson MT 315/50/17 drag radials. And one thing he came to realize was that the 2021 Challengers received a brake caliper change that prevents the use of Weld’s 18x6 drag wheels, so he turned to Baer Brakes to get everything to work together while still providing the necessary stopping power.
Reeves entrusted Finish Line Performance for all of the installation work, and everything that he has had installed can be purchased through Beefcake Racing.
Next up is more track testing and dyno time, and Reeves is expecting the car to turn out some mid-9-second timeslips or quicker. After that, he has a bigger Vortech head unit for it that made an additional 300 hp more on his Coyote-powered Mustang, and expects the combination to churn out 1,100-1,200 hp.