Courtesy of Engine Builder
Something we see a lot of in the diesel community are custom-built trucks. These one-off creations are typically dedicated to a specific person or application, and often represent important life events. These symbolic builds personify the truck and give it more character than your average run-of-the-mill machine.
Enter Steve Darnell and his truck named “Iron Rod.” The 1947 Federal looks like it came through a time machine, especially next to all of the other modern diesel machines we saw at the Ultimate Callout Challenge this year. Iron Rod is special, not only for aesthetics, but also for the fact that it boasts not one, but two powerful Cummins engines. One powers the truck, and the other powers a Lincoln SA200 welder mounted to the bed of the vehicle.
Darnell is the owner of WelderUp, a complete, custom fabrication shop specializing in one-of-a-kind vehicles located in Las Vegas. He also stars in the popular TV reality series Vegas Rat Rods on the Discovery channel, which details the WelderUp crew’s escapades and awesome builds.
Growing up in the steel industry and being an iron worker for 12 years prior to focusing on welding, Darnell learned all there is to know about metalwork, and it became an important part of his life. When the opportunity came, he knew he wanted to build something that represented the grit and ingenuity of the industry.
