LOOKS, SOUNDS, AND RUNS LIKE A DEERE

A JOHN DEEREPOWERED ’52 DODGE PACKING COMPOUND TURBOS AND AN ALLISON TRANSMISSION

If you’ve yet to hear the name Plowboy Diesel, do yourself a favor and Google “Twin Cummins Dodge.” This small, farm-based operation is known for building oneoff vehicles that combine wow-factor with fine craftmanship—and their dual 5.9L Cummins ’70 Dodge Sweptline creation brought them instant fame. More recently, Jody Mollet and the rest of the Plowboy Diesel team set their sights on another project: a gen-set engine’d ’52 Dodge B-series pickup that’s as impeccable as it is unique. The John Deere-themed build revolves around the use of a 4.5L Powertech engine, a visual appreciation for the manufacturer’s 20 series line of tractors his family has been using for decades, and is capped off with its unexpected use of an Allison 1000.

But that’s far from the whole story.

The frame, suspension, and exhaust system were built at Plowboy Diesel’s headquarters out in the middle of corn-country, and all auto body, paint, electrical, and wrenching duties were performed there, too. Jody, his father Mike, and his kids, Mallory and Dakota, were all part of the homegrown build. As is typical of so many blue-collar, selfreliant folks who’re used to working with their hands, ingenuity played a key role in the six-month undertaking. “If we need something, the first thing we do is walk outside and see what we have lying around that will work,” Jody told us, laughing. Funny thing is, he must not have been kidding—because in a lot of areas of the build that’s exactly what he did, and the truck turned out flawless.