Caleb and I drove to Mitchell last Saturday for the Outkasts car show (Happy Birthday to Me!) Unfortunately I had things mixed up a little and we ended up arriving in town about the time the show was breaking up. Dang.
We did get there in time to see several of the machines before they drove off; one standout was this slightly modified 1948 Diamond-T truck. What a sweet machine! Since the Outkasts is mostly rat rods and classic rods, this thing looked a little out of place, but it was still worth seeing. (click on the photos to see the hi-res original versions)
Part of the engine was visible from either side; looked to be a modern 6-cylinder diesel with a turbocharger. Sounded pretty mean when it was started up and rumbled down the street.
One interesting thing was the rear wheels; most trucks would have dual wheels on the back, but this thing had huge singles instead. Plenty of rubber to put the HP & torque to the road.
There was a color-coordinated cover over the plate on the back, but it was pretty clear that this thing was built to actually pull a trailer. Doubt you’ll ever see it rolling down the highway with a working load on back, but it could.
The first photo includes the show placard, but I can’t quite make out the owner’s name… Tom Hansen(?) from Laramie, WY, maybe? The interior shot gives a little more detail, but it’s still not clear; I sure wish I could run it through that magic image enhancing software they use on CSI!
UPDATE:
I was browsing through eBay this morning and bumped into a beautiful example of another 1948 Diamond-T that had been restored to better-than-showroom condition by a guy in Colorado Springs. I thought it’d be interesting to throw his photos up here for comparison’s sake. Looks like the body of the one we saw in Mitchell was kept pretty much stock, with the exception of the hood sides.
Of course, the ride height on the stock Diamond-T is slightly higher than the hot rod version, and the engine is a bit different as well. The original looks to have a gas engine vs. the rod’s diesel.
Not sure how long the auction page will last, but here’s the link, for what it’s worth. Looks like the auction was just put up, and there are no bids on it just yet. Understandable considering the $15,000 starting price. Wonder if it’ll sell at all.
Interestingly, there’s another ’48 Diamond-T listed on eBay right now; this one is an unfinished project, located in Oklahoma, and priced a bit more reasonably. Bidding is at about $2,500 right now (reserve is yet to be met) with 3 days left. If only I had a shop where I could work on something like this…
When Mom & Dad lived on the acreage near Hartford, the neighbor down the road had an old Diamond-T sitting in the yard. I wonder what ever happened to that truck.