In February 2025, I bought a wrecked Dodge Charger Pursuit from an auction as a personal project. The car was pretty rough when I got it. The front suspension was broken, the subframe had damage, the front bumper was missing, and all of the airbags had deployed. On top of that, it still had a lot of police-specific gear that needed to be swapped out for civilian use. I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I was excited to bring it back to life.
The first big step was the suspension and subframe. The car couldn’t even roll properly, so I tore down the damaged front end and replaced the broken control arms, struts, and bushings. Fixing the subframe was critical, too, since it had taken a hit. Getting all of that sorted gave me a solid foundation to move forward and made the Charger feel like a car again instead of just a wreck.
Next, I turned my attention to the airbags and interior. Every single airbag in the car had blown, which meant sourcing replacements for the steering wheel, dash, curtain, and seat airbags. I also replaced the modules and reset the system so it would be safe again. While I was at it, I refreshed the trim pieces and started stripping out the old police equipment to make the interior feel like a proper civilian car rather than a pursuit unit.
Once the inside was taking shape, I moved on to the front fascia. The Charger had been missing its bumper and grille completely, and the headlights were beyond saving. I tracked down civilian-spec parts and installed a new bumper cover, grille, and headlight assemblies. Seeing the car with a proper front end again was one of the most satisfying moments of the build so far — it finally looked like a Charger again.
The last major step has been the civilian conversion. That meant removing the leftover pursuit-only features, like the wiring for lights and sirens, and swapping in standard components. It’s been a process of undoing the police setup and making sure everything works like a regular road car. Little by little, I’ve been transforming the Charger from a wrecked pursuit vehicle into a civilian daily driver.
This project has been a mix of mechanical repairs, safety work, and cosmetic upgrades, but each stage has made the car feel more complete. It’s been a lot of hours and effort, but I’m proud of how far the Charger has come — from an auction wreck to a road-ready car I’ll be able to enjoy.