THE SPIRIT OF ’48
ONE HELLUVA CUSTOM HAULER
The other half of this dynamic duo is Diamond Eye Performance’s very unique and supremely badass 1948 Ford COE hauler. With the C10 riding piggyback, this vehicle was the company’s centerpiece at their SEMA 2016 booth and now serves as their promotional flagship. With the C10 hoisted up onto its bed, the pair cannot help but make the grandest of entrances wherever they go.
The Ford C-series had a cab-forward design that looks like nothing so much as a Viking helmet on wheels. Today, these trucks are highly prized in hot rod/rat rod circles, and with this build, Diamond Eye wanted to take advantage of that. So, as with the C10, it was built to be a fully functional yet easy-on-the-eyes showpiece that in the process became what is possibly the meanest tow rig on the road.
The cab section on this one may be vintage Ford, but underneath, the foundation for the project is in fact a GM C30 chassis—so it does share some mechanical DNA with the C10 racer. The frame is fully boxed for bullet-stopping rigidity and has been extended a healthy amount. The rear axle was also
relocated further back; it is a 14-bolt GM unit retrofitted with a Nitro gear set and differential cover. The suspension is bolstered by specially fabricated arms and leveled with Firestone Ride Rite airbags. Rancho 9000 XL dampers smooth out the ride. A similar setup resides in front. The COE’S preferred stance is dumped to the ground over 22-inch American Force Avid wheels.
The hauler bed is a fully custom unit blueprinted and built by Anvil Fabworx (also in Bend). It incorporates yards of glossy black custom sheetmetal (paint and Diamond Eye graphics by Greg’s Custom), integrated dry boxes and storage cubbies, and some innovative engineering features that play into the truck’s functionality.
TUCKED INTO BED
Production-line diesel COES ran period powerplants from Caterpillar, Cummins, Detroit, and yes, Ford. This one runs a much more modern built ’98 12V Cummins assembled by Bennett Leffler at Performance Authority. Furthering its full-custom nature, the Diamond Eye COE is no longer technically a cab-over design; the engine is in fact mounted amidships, behind the cab and installed below bed level using custom
mounts fashioned by PA. The cylinders in the straight-six block have been bored out 0.020-inches and loaded with coated Mahle pistons. ARP bolts fasten a stock albeit ported cylinder head to the block. An Industrial Injection induction intake horn gets a healthy supply of air from the compound BD Diesel Super B Tow turbos singing to the tune of 55 psi. Compressed air is cooled by a sidemount custom-made intercooler before making its way into the Cummins. Fuel is drawn by a FASS 150 lift pump from a custom cell mounted, like the engine, below the bed; juice is directed through a Dynomite P-pump and atomized by Dynomite Stage 2 injectors. Exhaust gas is directed from the turbo manifold by a Diamond Eye-fabricated dual-pipe system that exits on either side of the truck through ports cut into the bed’s side panels just in front of the rear wheels.
As to its high functionality, the bed’s front corners feature large cutout sections with mesh overlays that allow air to flow directly into either side of the engine compartment, passing over the intercooler core on the driver side and across the Perma-cool transmission cooler on the passenger side. The transmission itself is an ’06 Allison 1000 mated to the Cummins 12V via a Cummins Allison conversion kit. The six-speed gearbox has been given an ATS Stage 6 overhaul.
Like the C10, chassis wiring on the hauler was also masterminded by Ron Francis, providing illumination to the Vision X Black Vortex LED headlamps and Volkswagen LED tails. Vision X red LED mood lighting also provides illumination up and down the hauler bed. In case you don’t see it coming, the COE signals its arrival with Klienn Demon Model 730 air horns similar to the ones you might find on
a Union Pacific diesel locomotive. The horns and the air suspension are fed by an Accuair compressor system also incorporated into the hauler bed. At the bed’s high end, the cab is fitted with a Warn Zeon Platinum 10-S winch to hoist and secure its payload.
Unlike the C10, the COE’S interior remains comfortable enough for extended road use. The original 1948 furnishings have been replaced with a pair of Ram bucket seats from this century. They were skinned by Roadwire in black leather with red quilted stitching. Roadwire also applied black ultrasuede to the cab’s ceiling and back wall. A Flaming River steering wheel sends directions to the front wheels via a Flaming River steering column. Dakota Digital instrumentation provides visual feedback to the driver.
The two trucks did make their debut at SEMA 2016 and may be seen yet again together outside the pages of this magazine, but due to logistics and the COE’S slammed-to-theweeds profile, it will not be the C10’s sole method of transport to this year’s events. But the Diamond Eye crew doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of a reunion, if for nothing else than just showing off.
THE COE’S INTERIOR REMAINS COMFORTABLE ENOUGH FOR EXTENDED ROAD USE.