Dodge announced this morning that the second edition of the modern Direct Connection catalog is now available online and one of the items added to the new list of available items is the C170 Hellephant Series crate engine. The C170 is the crate engine name of the production engine in the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 and it will be available for purchase from Direct Connection in the first quarter of 2024.
“The Dodge Direct Connection portfolio continues to expand since its relaunch in March 2022,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer – Stellantis. “New Direct Connection Long Blocks, as well as the availability of the Direct Connection C170 Crate Engine in early 2024, join new initiatives recently announced, such as more than 20 new co-branded premium car detailing and car wash products under the Direct Connection/Jay Leno’s Garage banner. Even more growth for Direct Connection is in store for 2024.”
Hellephant C170 Crate Engine
The Hellephant C170 crate engine is based on a 6.2-liter, 376-cubic inch cast production block and is topped by a 3.0-liter IHI supercharger. Like the Demon 170, this engine is designed to run on E85 ethanol, and while there have been no concrete power numbers announced for this crate engine, we know that the similar engine in the Demon 170 offers 1,025 horsepower and 945 lb-ft of torque. Seeing as how the C170 crate engine doesn’t have to meet any sort of federal emission regulations, we can expect to see cars with the C170, with a custom tune, making even more power than the Demon 170.
It should be noted that the Hellephant C170 engine is not emission compliant, which is the key difference between this Hellephant crate engine and the production Demon 170 engine. If you live in a state with emission testing, putting this engine in a modern car could create issues, so you should look into that before trying to Hellephant-swap your 2010 Challenger.
The MSRP of the Hellephant C170 through Direct Connection is $27,695 and the officially availability plans are “Q1 2024”.
Long Block Assemblies
The other big addition to the Direct Connection catalog is an assortment of long block assemblies, including the Hellephant C170. For those who do not know, a “long block assembly” consists of the engine block, the rotating assembly (crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons), the cylinder heads, the valvetrain components, the oiling system components, the front timing cover and the harmonic balancer. Buyers simply have to add their own intake and exhaust components, fuel system and engine electronics to turn these long blocks into running engines.
The full list of Direct Connection long block assemblies, available during the first quarter of 2024, is as follows with the official power numbers and a picture of the assembly. No images are currently available of the HurriCrate inline-6 engines.
Hellephant C170 6.2L Supercharged Crate HEMI Long Block (below) – Part number- P5160620AA – $18,995
1,025 horsepower, 945 lb-ft of torque
Hellcrate Redeye 6.2L Supercharged Crate HEMI Long Block (below) – Part number- P5160619AA – $12,995
807 horsepower, 717 lb-ft of torque
Hellcrate 6.2L Supercharged Crate HEMI Long Block (below) – Part number- P5160618AA – $9,495
717 horsepower, 656 lb-ft of torque
392 Crate HEMI Long Block (below) – Part number- P5160617AA – $6,995
485 horsepower, 475 lb-ft of torque
345 Crate HEMI Long Block (below) – Part number- P5160616AA – $4,495
383 horsepower, 417 lb-ft of torque
HurriCrate Cat 3 Twin Turbo Crate Long Block – Part number- P5160622AA – $8,995
550 horsepower, 531 lb-ft of torque
HurriCrate Cat 1 Twin Turbo Crate Long Block – Part number- P5160621AA – $6,495
420 horsepower, 468 lb-ft of torque
It should be noted that the power numbers are based on factory configurations, so once in the hands of builders, these engines are all capable of making far more than the stated power output. Just by adding a larger supercharger to the Hellcat-based crate engines or adding any boost to the 345 or 392 Hemi engines, coupled with added fuel and a proper tune, these engines will make way more than the official power figures listed above.
