One of the most prominent custom car builders at the SEMA Show are the Ringbrothers, Mike and Jim Ring from Wisconsin. They show up not once in a while, but every year consistently with multiple wild custom builds that take advantage of composite materials, 3D printing, CNC machining, and some truly unique design ideas. The Ringbrothers have captured numerous top awards including the overall winner at Battle of the Builders in 2022. For 2023, they returned to the SEMA Show with a completely resto-modded 1969 Dodge Charger nicknamed “TUSK.”
The car is a complete re-imagining of the classic Charger with modern materials and performance. It is not to be confused with the ’69 Charger “Defector” that the Ringbrothers built in 2020. The “TUSK” Charger has a beautiful black and gold paint scheme that really looks great. The paint is BASF’s Glasurit Waterborne and the color is GM WA8555 Black.
Under the hood is an all-aluminum supercharged 426 / 7.0L Hemi V8 “Hellephant” crate motor producing 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb-ft of torque. Just 100 units of this engine were produced as a crate motor. Coupled to that is a Bowler Performance TREMEC T-56 Magnum six-speed manual gearbox with the classic “pistol grip” shifter that the Charger is known for.
The original B-body chassis has been replaced by a Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis. This not only provides a lower stance, it completely strengthens and upgrades the car’s performance and handling to modern standards.
Other improvements include an independent rear suspension, Baer Brakes Extreme 6S six-piston calipers. The car rides on a set of Ringbrothers “TUSK” Edition HRE Wheels which measure 19×10.5 in the front and 20×13 in the rear. The wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires for maximum grip in the corners.
At this point, people have come to expect the very best work from the Ringbrothers. They say that more than 5,000 man hours of labor went into this car. From the sheet metal to the paint work to the engine bay and interior, “TUSK” is a full custom built car done to the very highest standard possible – as only they can do it.
