Unusual Diesel Swaps: A Bricknose Ford With A Power Stroke, A Dodge D200 Packing A 12-Valve and a Cummins-Powered Chevrolet Silverado

• December 16, 2024
• Story By
  Mike McGlothlin

Diesel swaps are nothing new. And Cummins conversions have become so common you can find multiple examples at any given truck show, drag race or sled pull. Luckily, the popularity of diesel swaps has forced many enthusiasts to raise their own standards, think outside the box, or just simply do it better. As proof that the Cummins swap craze isn’t over, we’re bringing you two well-executed conversions this time: one a perfectly patina’d ’68 Dodge D200 with a mechanical, P-pumped 12-valve and the other a GMT800 Chevrolet Silverado boasting an electronically controlled, common-rail 6.7L pumping out 1,600 hp. Our outlier is a Bricknose Ford F-150 fitted with a 7.3L Power Stroke—and a unique combination of all-original sheet metal with a heavier duty, completely restored chassis.

Patina’d Paint, P-pumped Cummins

Old-school Dodges have been making a comeback in recent years—and we don’t just mean the first-gen Cummins variety. Joe Groseclose of Coatesville, Indiana accomplished a few goals with his 12-valve swapped ’68 Dodge D200 Camper Special. Just as it should be, there is a little more rust on this Midwest-based crew cab than there might be on one sitting somewhere out West—and he intentionally left the look alone. At the same time, however, Joe ensured things were as clean (and rust-free) as possible under the hood. When we caught up with Joe’s 64-year-old blast from the past, it had just won a Best Custom Swap trophy.

Like It Was Meant To Be

Sourcing a P-pumped 5.9L Cummins might’ve been predictable, but the seamlessness of the 12-valve’s integration is undeniable. As you can see, some room had to be notched out and opened up in the firewall to accommodate the lengthy I-6 between the cab and grille, and judging by the new fan shroud, radiator hoses and overflow valve in the P7100, necessary upgrades weren’t left off the table. Cosmetically, the compressor housing was color-matched with the rest of the truck, along with the valve cover plate and intake. Mechanically, Joe’s Cummins is graced with head studs, an indication that he expects his conversion to be around for many years to come.

That’s One Big Brick!

Luxemburg, Wisconsin native, Celina Simon, worked hand-in-hand with her boyfriend, Jacob Sampe, at Fine Line LLC to transform her ’88 F-150 into what you see here. A well-preserved Bricknose body sits on an F-350 frame and 1-ton axles, rides on a four-link front suspension and Fox coilovers with 8-inches travel, and rolls on Weld Racing Stone Crushers wrapped in 38x15.50R15 Nitto Mud Grappler rubber. Three years in the making, the finishing touches were made this past June, just in time for the mecca of truck shows, U.C.C. (i.e. Ultimate Callout Challenge). Here, it sits patiently awaiting its trophy for Best Power Stroke at the 2024 WC Fab Open House.

7.3L Swapped

You won’t find a Cummins here. Celina is sticking to the Ford/Navistar (International) theme thanks to this 7.3L Power Stroke. Plucked out of an ’01 model year Super Duty donor, the 444 ci V-8 is untouched aside from a few upgrades from CNC Fabrication, a FASS fuel supply system along the chassis and a KC Turbos Stage 2 drop-in turbocharger in the valley. Just like a ’99-’03 7.3L-powered Super Duty, Celine’s engine is intercooled, but the stainless intercooler piping was fabricated in-house at Fine Line LLC. The trusty ZF-5 manual transmission sits behind the venerable 7.3L.

High Standards On The Chassis

Discontent with how the original powder coating on the upgraded (F-350) frame turned out, Celina sanded it down, added some filler and painted it the show-winning gloss black it wears today. During the frame swap, the front and rear axles were upgraded, too. In the rear, a readily available Sterling 10.25-inch unit was chosen, but up front a ’73-’79 era King Pin Dana 60 got the nod. And while leaf springs got the call out back, the front-end would eventually be treated to a four-link suspension arrangement with Fox 2.5-inch coilovers offering 8-inches of travel.

A 1,600 HP, Cummins-Swapped Chevrolet

In a former life, this classic body Silverado was powered by a Duramax. Not anymore. Given the ultra-competitive nature of the truck pulling class the Bow Tie competes in (the Limited Pro Stock Diesel Truck Class), Paul Ritchardson knew a Cummins would give him the best shot at winning. Plus, it doesn’t hurt matters that Paul works for Fleece Performance Engineering, a household name well-known for building dyno-proven, common-rail Cummins power plants. Paul built the Chevy’s chassis himself and, combined with the 35-inch Mud Grapplers he runs, it hooks hard in the dirt.

Deck Plate 6.7L

As an employee at Fleece, the parent company of Freedom Racing Engines, Paul (with the help of Chase Fleece) brought the longtime puller back into the fray in 2020 to help further develop and test engine recipes, which resulted in Freedom’s customers moving the sled further and further in the dirt. Paul’s bullet sports a factory cast-iron 6.7L Cummins block, but a deck plate has been added up top to eliminate cylinder distortion. For fuel, the engine benefits from a set of Ordnance injectors from S&S Diesel Motorsport, and a pair of gear-driven, Fleece-built 12mm stroker CP3’s mounted in one of Fleece’s billet dual CP3 front covers. The electronically controlled Cummins takes its orders from a MoTeC stand-alone computer equipped with a Fleece-built ECU harness.

High-Tech Turbocharging

Outside the multi-turbo Super Stock or select Run What Ya Brung categories, diesel truck pulling rules revolve around the use of a single turbocharger. In Paul’s case (and many others like him), there was no other choice than to run this 3.0-inch (compressor inducer) smooth bore turbo from Hart’s Diesel. Once compressed, boosted air is forced through an air-to-water intercooler before entering the billet-aluminum side-draft intake on the driver side of the engine. Next year, with Paul bumping up to the Pro Pulling League’s Silver Series Pro Stock Diesel Truck Class, a larger, 3.6-inch smooth bore turbo will be bolted to the exhaust manifold. At that point in time, his Cummins will likely be turning out somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 hp…