The secret of making more power through cold air, or forced air induction has been out for a long time, but the ways to duct cold air to the engine, and the hoodscoops used for that function, are of numerous and varied design. Chrysler began adding hoodscoops to their high-performance passenger cars during the early '60s, and back then the scoops were mainly designed for function rather than aesthetics. During the muscle car years, however, all of the manufacturers got into the scoop craze, though arguably Dodge and Plymouth made the most functional and often the most ostentatious scoops of the period.
There's no doubt that the look of the Shaker scoop defines functional hoods of the pony car era. Now you can have that same look, and the performance of cold air induction, on your modern Mopar.
One of our favorite hoodscoops from the muscle car era wasn't really a hoodscoop at all, as it was attached to the engine and poked through a hole in the hood. Called the "Shaker," this scoop was an available option on Dodge and Plymouth E-Bodies only, and combined the functionality of forced air induction with tough, appealing lines. As if adding both performance and enhanced curb appeal weren't enough, Chrysler further marketed their hoodscoop system with a cool "Shaker" decal under the hood, with blurred letters to actually simulate shaking.
Though the Shaker hood isn't an available factory option on Mopar's latest rendering of the Challenger, there's no doubt that Chrysler nailed the look of the new Dodge two-door, blending the best of modern technology with a powerful Hemi engine and a classic appearance. Fortunately, Classic Design Concepts (CDC) is already offering a Shaker system for the new Challenger, along with a fiberglass "Heritage" hood, that comes in a complete kit with everything necessary to give your new Challenger the looks and performance of a Shaker scoop.
The engineers at Chrysler did a great job with the new Challenger, fitting a retro-styled body onto the LX platform.....
Since great looks and better performance are two things we really like here at Mopar Muscle magazine, we decided to install one of CDC's hoods on our '09 Challenger R/T. Although the Heritage hood is available sans Shaker, we opted for the Shaker scoop kit, which is designed to duct cool outside air to the new Challenger's factory airbox. The only problem we saw was that our factory airbox had been replaced by a ProCharger supercharger and associated ducting, so we ordered our kit knowing that we'd likely have to perform some modifications to make the system work.
Once our CDC packages arrived, we were initially impressed with the quality of the fiberglass Heritage hood, as well as the Shaker scoop and associated hardware in the kit. Since the hood comes in primer, it needed to be matched to the silver of the rest of the car, so we took our parts and car to JD's Paint and Body Shop in nearby Mulberry, Florida, to fit the hood and have it painted.
....And while we love the factory twin-scoop hood on the R/T model, we felt that a Shaker scoop would enhance the looks and performance of our car.
After unbolting the original hood, the crew at JD's quickly bolted the new hood in place, and adjusted it for proper fitment. The CDC piece was nicely finished and fit exactly like the factory hood, with no real modifications required. Since the hood fit properly, we removed it so it could be block-sanded and painted to match the car, and installed the factory hood so we could keep driving in the meantime. Once the paintwork was accomplished, we took the car back to JD's Paint and Body to install the Shaker system along with our freshly painted hood.
Looking at the design of the Shaker scoop system, there's no doubt it would literally bolt right into place, ducting cool air to the car's factory airbox. In our application, however, we had to cut away a portion of the base in order to clear our aftermarket supercharger, ductwork, and air filter, but we still had no problem installing the system in just a few hours. The CDC kit is complete, including all the necessary hardware and clear instructions, and we were overall happy with the way the parts bolted in place.
Since the new CDC Heritage hood comes in primer, we took our car and new parts to JD's Paint and Body Shop so the hood could be fitted and painted to match our car's silver color. Of course the first step is to remove the factory hood so the CDC hood can be bolted in place on the factory hinges.
With the installation complete, we think you'll agree that the Shaker scoop only makes the new Challenger look better, adding to the retro appearance of the car. Additionally, by modifying our kit to duct cool air directly to the supercharger's inlet air filter, we definitely hear a louder induction roar, indicating the Hemi engine is enjoying its breath of fresh air. Moreover, our car now has a distinct look, separating it from the other Challengers we're starting to see on the road. Follow along and we'll show you how easy it was to install the Classic Design Concepts Heritage hood and Shaker scoop.
