Chain Smoker Truck
A hot rod builder found a 1947 Fargo FL1 truck in a field in
Manitoba several years ago and bought it as his next project. It is a rare vehicle
to see in the United States - the Fargo Motor Company was started in 1928 by
the Chrysler Corporation so that Chrysler, Plymouth and DeSoto dealers could
sell trucks. United States sales of
Fargo trucks were abysmal and Fargo distribution in the United States was discontinued
at the end of the 1930 model year after just 7,680 trucks were built.
But worldwide, and particularly in Canada, the Fargo brand was
used until 1972 as Chrysler-Plymouth dealer products while Dodge trucks were
sold at Dodge dealers. This explains why the 1947 Fargo FL1 looks just like a
1947 Dodge W series pickup truck.
The builder, Warwick Andrews of the Andrews Auto Gallery in
Calgary decided to try a different construction technique and used welded chain
in place of sheet metal. He stretched
the front end 6 inches to accommodate the compound turbocharged 12-valve
Cummins diesel engine that Andrews claims develops 1200 horsepower and 2000 foot/pounds of
torque and filled the gap at the cowl with welded chain.
The front and rear fenders were widened also using welded
chain and Andrews created a front valance and rear pan under the tailgate using
this same technique. The result is the unique Chain Smoker truck as seen at the
2019 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas.
All photos by the author
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