Down and dirty
12 Valve Cummins Diesel
NV5600 6 speed Transmission
NP271 Transfer case.

Maxine wasn’t bought, she was earned. I picked her up for free after helping a widow clear out the old wrecking yard she and her late husband, Bob, used to run. My dad and I sold off cars, trucks, and trailers, hauled scrap, and made sure every dime (minus gas money) went back to her. Funny enough, I actually tried to buy Maxine years before as my first car, but they shut me down — she was the yard mule. Bob had already worked his magic on her: the stock 318 Poly paired to two transmissions (push-button auto into a 4-speed manual), backyard-built dually wheels welded together from steelies, and rear fenders hacked out of 55-gallon drums. She was rough, sketchy, and totally badass.

That’s when I took over. First, I swapped her onto a ’77 Dodge one-ton chassis with a 440 big block, 727 auto, and NP203 case, riding on 20" Fuel Cleavers and 33" Nittos. She looked killer but ran like trash — overheating, underpowered, and saddled with full-time 4WD. Back to square one.

Then came the big leap. My father-in-law handed me a blown-up ’07 Cummins. I rebuilt the whole setup, shortened the chassis 4 feet, reworked crossmembers, and dropped the body as tight as I could. With help from Northern Utah Diesel Experts, Maxine got a fresh 12-valve Cummins, NV4500 (now being swapped to an NV5600), a Southbend dual disc clutch, Fass pump, and plenty of secrets from Power Driven Diesel, Mahle, and Dynamite Diesel. Toss in an Amazon roof rack loaded with KC Slimlites, and she was reborn.

Maxine’s more than metal. She’s my Mona Lisa, my Magnum Opus, a junkyard dog turned road warrior. She’s survived Gambler 500 rallies, climbed Moab trails, run autocross in Vegas, hauled endless projects, and knocked out 2,000+ mile road trips. She’s stubborn, mean, and always evolving — but she’s mine. And nothing puts a bigger smile on my face.