The wild custom "Chain Smoker" Truck

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    

The Bootlegger

This gorgeous black 1939 Ford Tudor Deluxe Sedan, built by Dan Scheid at Scheid Diesel Service Company in Terre Haute Indiana and Todd Cox of Todd’s Hot Rods Oakwood Illinois, appeared at both the 2018 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show and the 2019 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show.

“The Bootlegger” is powered a  6.4-liter (390 cubic inches) Scheid Cummins B Series Aluminum Billet Block engine outfitted with Scheid billet steel crankshaft  injection pump, injectors,  valve cover, front cover, pistons, and connecting rods. The engine, fed by single BorgWarner S366 turbocharger, transmits the estimated 400 horsepower through the Torqueflite 47RH heavy-duty overdrive transmission.

The car rides on Heidts Suspension Systems Superide II independent front suspension system with tubular control arms, Wilwood disc brakes, and RideTech coil-over shock absorbers, while out back is another independent suspension setup, adapted from a 2002 Nissan Skyline.

The bodywork is finished in Standox® Basecoat Deep Black with Axalta Imron® high-gloss Opaque Red polyurethane accents on the engine and the 17-inch US Mags two-piece Heavy Artillery wheels with polished lips and Ford hub caps. The red accents match the bright-red Ultra Leather interior that covers the four bucket seats, the floorboards and the headliner.   

All photos by the author 

Dodge “Lowliner” concept truck

At the 2019 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, Mopar exhibited the “Lowliner” 1968 Dodge D200 Sweptline custom concept truck.

Photo courtesy of FCA LLC

The 1968 D200 ¾ ton pickup was the fourth year of the second generation of the Dodge “D” series trucks; the second generation introduced with passenger car styling that featured a 3-inch lower cab. The “Sweptline” designation was applied to the trucks with the straight-side pickup box. Customers responded favorably with over 183,000 D Series trucks sold for the 1968 model year, Dodge’s highest pickup truck production total to date.

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 The builders of the “Lowliner” moved the front axle four inches forward, which extended the wheelbase to 132 inches and gave the truck  air suspension on all four corners. The truck has three different air suspension settings - parked, drive, and "drive plus" for driveway access.

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The truck's immaculate bodywork is finished in Dodge Candy Delmonico Red with “Dodge” ghosted on the tailgate, with Dairy Cream accents for the bumpers, grille, and 22-inch 'smoothie' style wheels.

Author photo 

The highlight of the build is under the power tilt front end, the mighty vintage Cummins 24V 5.9-liter (358 cubic inch) diesel engine with Holset turbocharger that produces an estimated 300 horsepower and 600 foot/pounds of torque which is transmitted through  a six-speed manual transmission to the 11-inch wide rear wheels.  

Photo courtesy of FCA LLC 

The custom interior is trimmed in “Blazing Saddle Tan” distressed leather  with a custom engine-turned aluminum gauge panel with seven Mopar gauges and the restored 1968 steering wheel. The floor-mounted Hurst shifter has a custom translucent shift ball with the Cummins logo.  

A pair of Volvo 122Ss at SEMA 2018

The 2018 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas featured two very different takes on the same canvas – the early-nineteen sixties Volvo "Amazon" 122S two-door sedan. The Volvo Amazon, named after the legendary female mythological warriors for the world market, was sold as the Volvo 122S in the United States. 

Over 300,000 two-door Volvo 122S coupes were built during the marque’s twelve-year production run, but with 14.4 second 0-60 MPH performance, American hot rodders never considered the 122S a basis for a build - until this year.

The outdoor Shell Oil/Pennzoil display featured a 1963 Volvo 122S modified by Jeff Allen’s Flat Twelve Gallery. Allen and his team substituted the chassis from a 2013 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport equipped with a 630-horsepower Lingenfelter Performance Corvette Z06 crate engine for the Volvo’s original running gear and 85-horsepower overhead valve four-cylinder engine. Known as the “V06,” Allen will use it on a cross-country tour of Optima Ultimate Street Car Autocross competitions then the car that Allen affectionately calls “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The 1964 Amazon 122S shown in the Cummins Diesel booth built by Heritage Driven went a different direction, using a Mustang II front clip stiffened factory frame and custom-built four link rear suspended 9-inch Ford rear end powered by a Cummins turbocharged 2.8 liter (171 cubic inch) four-cylinder crate engine connected to a Tremec 6-spped transmission. The diesel crate engine provides 161 horsepower and 310 foot-pounds feet of torque to the rear Method 17-inch rally wheels.   

All photos by the author