And We're Off...
by RPM Staff

Meet Mr. Magnum! Yes, by the good graces of our very good friends at DaimlerChrysler Canada, we are in the prcess of building our first ever RPM Project vehicle - a brand spankin' new 2005 Dodge Magnum RT. Equipped with everything we need (HEMI, rear wheel drive), this Magnum will, over the course of the next few months, be transformed from your average 340-horsepower grocery getter, into a SEMA-worthy

show car. Of course, we don't need to tell you how excited we are (those of you who are curious about this matter should try reading DW's Front Seat!), but we will say that this is going to be one wicked ride when we are done. And while most Magnum owners won't go to the same level we plan to, we expect there's more that a few proud papa's out there who just can't wait to bolt a few goodies onto their dual purpose soccer-mobile/boulvard bruiser.

With this in mind, our first round of modifications was pretty mild. With a few bolt on parts that took only a couple of days to install, our Magnum has already taken on a whole new identity. First up, we drove it down to Mopec Auto Supply in Langley loc-ated just a few minutes from our off-ice, and put the big wagon up on the hoist. Off came the stock RT wheels right off the bat, giving us access to the fully independent suspension. Then out came the stock coil over units, and after a little while the stock springs were swapped out for a set of Eibach Pro Kits that brought the front end down 1.3" and the rear a whop-ping 1.4". Sure that may not sound like much, but we didn't want to have

too many clearance issues with the 22" wheels. After all, this is the part of the build that the average joe should be able to both do, and maybe even justify to the wife. The result (on the stock wheels) was a car so low that is couldn't even drive off the hoist without being set on wooden blocks first. On the larger 22" TIS wheels and low-pro Pirelli Scorpion Zeros, the ride height is almost returned to stock. The only difference (besides the dynamite look of our new rolling stock) is the fenderwell gap. Next up, we put the car into the air and began unbolting the stock exhaust system. Consisting of a massive resonator and a