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There’s a lot of viral diesel content out there on the internet showcasing unique diesel builds, but how many can say they’ve built up a business that is constantly being featured on network television? Chase Wells, owner of 1 Way Diesel Performance, is one of those guys who is humble at heart, but could brag all day if he wanted to.
Over the years, Chase and his team have put together some of the coolest diesel cars and trucks out there, many of which are featured on the MotorTrend TV show ‘Texas Metal’s Loud and Lifted.’
Texas Metal has been a staple MotorTrend show since it first aired in 2017, with protagonist and long-time welder Bill Carlton putting together some of the coolest vehicle builds you’ll ever see. Flash forward to last year, and MotorTrend released an off-shoot series called Texas Metal’s Loud and Lifted, more or less a similar-style show, but featuring some of the up-and-coming custom shops on the Northside of Houston. Wells and his business 1 Way Diesel Performance, located in Nacogdoches, TX, are heavily featured in the first season, which filmed in 2020.
We first spoke to Wells around that time to get the inside scoop on his ’57 Chevrolet Bel Air Pro Mod powered by a deck-plated 6.7L Cummins, and we knew from the get-go that he was something special. Early in 2023, he caught our attention again when we saw pictures on the internet of a 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo with a 5.9L Cummins stuffed in the back.
Suffice it to say, Chase has a knack for creativity. Today, 1 Way Diesel Performance is a 42,000 sq.-ft. facility made up of four buildings housing areas for general repair, paint, body and fabrication, engine and transmission, assembly, and office space. There are 18 employees, seven of them technicians.
All of that was put in place to be able to build things like today’s Diesel of the Week focus – a 5.9L common rail Cummins in a ’47 Ford.
“This truck actually belonged to my father-in-law, who purchased it back in the mid-70s,” Wells says. “He had willed it to my wife after it had been sitting in the backyard for a long time. I knew I was going to build that up for her one day.”
That’s exactly what Chase did. In a short, three-month timespan that was required for the episode on Texas Metal’s Loud and Lifted, Wells completely transformed his father-in-law’s ’47 Ford, complete with a turbocharged 5.9L common rail Cummins engine.
The engine underwent a stage 2 porting process, with enhancements made to the fire-ringed cylinder head’s exhaust and intake ports, improving the overall airflow. All the custom valve work was also done in-house, ensuring precision and quality.
The Cummins engine features a Hamilton camshaft, pushrods, and 103 valve springs, Wagler Street Fighter connecting rods, ARP 625 studs, and MAHLE pistons. For fueling, Wells went with S&S 250% over injectors paired with a 12mm S&S CP3 fuel pump.
As for air, the decision was made to run a single-turbo setup – a Forced Inductions S476/87/110 turbocharger – that works with a Stainless Diesel manifold to produce the perfect amount of power.
“It makes 1,186 horsepower,” Wells says. “Right now, it’s more of just a show truck and to be used on the street, but we have the rear end setup with a full back half, so it’s set to go down the track too. We finally unveiled it to my father-in-law after it was finished, and it was really a surreal experience. The whole family was there, and his jaw just dropped.”
Diesel of the Week is sponsored by AMSOIL. If you have an engine you’d like to highlight in this series, please email Engine Builder Editor Greg Jones at [email protected].
