This 1970 Dodge Truck Has Two Twin-Turbo Cummins Diesel Engines

12 cylinders, four turbochargers, and one enormous intercooler.
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One of the weirdest and wildest builds that graced the floor at the SEMA show this year is an old 1970 Dodge D-Series pickup truck with two engines. It was built by New Douglas, Illinois-based shop Plowboy Diesel after joking about an older Dodge truck they had in their shop with an engine bay so big they could stuff two Cummins engines in there. Some measuring revealed that couldn’t be done on the truck they were talking about, but there was enough room in the D-Series.

The engine(s) used in this experiment are the famous Cummins 5.9-liter 6BT inline-six diesel engine commonly referred to simply as the “12-valve.” It’s famous among diesel enthusiasts for its simplicity, reliability, and how easy it is to modify.

Speaking of modifications, this truck has plenty of those. Both engines have compound Borg Warner twin turbochargers making for a total of four turbos. An enormous, custom-built intercooler takes up pretty much the whole front end of the truck while three radiators sit in the bed of the truck to keep everything nice and cool. The engines connect via a custom gear case that delivers power to one shaft for the Track Master 47RE 4-speed automatic transmission.

The frame is completely custom built with airbag suspension at all four corners. As for the exterior, it’s mostly stock and still has what appears to be the original avocado green paint job. The only giveaways that this truck is something special just by looking at it—at least when the hood is on— are the rims, the exhaust cut out in the front quarters, and the radiators and wheels sticking out in the bed if you can see in there.

For all of the flawless restomods, we love to see at SEMA, it’s nice to see a ragged old grain truck that’s packing a big surprise under the hood.