Famous hillbilly YouTuber Westen Champlin isn’t afraid of a little grease and grime. In fact, he seems to prefer it. When he stumbled across a 1998 Ford Ranger on Facebook Marketplace, he knew he had found his next project which is to build a Cummins-powered Ford Ranger. But this wasn’t going to be your average restoration. Westen had something far more ambitious in mind. He planned on swapping out the Ranger’s stock engine for a 12-valve Cummins diesel.

A Cummins in a Ranger? It might sound crazy, but Westen, a man who clearly enjoys a challenge, was determined to prove the doubters wrong. He saw the potential in the truck’s 3/4 chassis and, after a smokey burnout confirmed its solidity, he set about transforming it into a diesel-powered beast.

The first test he came up with is a tug-of-war against a Ford Ranger that has a 460 big-block engine. Westen’s Cummins-powered Ranger, even with the disadvantage of four-wheel drive, emerged victorious.

Next, he brought his trailer loaded with several of his Ranger trucks, totaling a hefty 20,240 lbs. The little Ranger actually pulled the entire trailer. Westen himself was amazed, saying, “I cannot freaking believe that it did that. It pulled it perfectly. It didn’t struggle at all!”

But the ultimate test was yet to come. Westen hooked up his 34,000lbs “battle tank Ford Ranger.” A behemoth built from military equipment and included in the trailer. And guess what? The Cummins-powered Ranger towed it like it was nothing. Literally.

After all that hauling, Westen decided the truck deserved a little remake. He chopped off the old exhaust, added a new hood stack, and gave it a fresh coat of yellow paint. But during a test drive, a plume of blue smoke signaled trouble. “I think when we go back to the shop, we need to order some Power Driven Diesel boost,” Westen declared.

After the changes were made, he then hooked up with his cousin Gary. Westen lined up the Ranger against his cousin’s tuned Duramax. While the Duramax took the win, Westen wasn’t too concerned. “Winner gets dinner,” he said, happy to score a free meal.

Finally, Westen put the Cummins-powered Ranger to the ultimate test. A quarter-mile drag race on dirt while carrying another Ford Ranger. And, in a cloud of dust and diesel fumes, the Cummins Ranger finished within 22 seconds.

Westen Champlin’s Cummins-powered Ford Ranger is proof of creativity, innovation, and a love for all things automotive. It’s a truck that defies expectations and proves that with a little creativity and a powerful engine, anything is possible.