Budget Builds, Big Power The Poor Diesel Challenge

Can You Build a Competitive Diesel Truck for $10k?

With new diesel pickups pushing well past the $100,000 mark, the idea of building a competitive, performance-oriented truck for just one-tenth of that price sounds downright impossible. But that’s exactly what The Poor Diesel Challenge set out to prove at the 2024 Ultimate Callout Challenge in Brownsburg, Indiana. The rules? Working with a $10,000 total budget—truck, parts, and labor included. The goal? To see who could build the best budget diesel and put it to the test in a series of grueling challenges that would make even your mother slightly concerned.

Meet the Competitors

The brainchild of Robert Rowley (TheBuiltCmax Creations), the Poor Diesel Challenge brought together three die-hard diesel guys—each an expert in their platform.

• Robert Rowley – 8 years of Duramax experience
• Ron “MF” Maple – 13 years in the Cummins game
• Tyler Hewitt – 6 years of Power Stroke expertise

With each competitor working within their platform of choice, they hunted down, modified, and tuned their budget builds to make the most of every dollar. And just for good measure, wildcard Justin Hildebrand aka JH Diesel joined the mix with a second Power Stroke build, bringing even more chaos to the competition.

The Builds

• Robert Rowley’s Duramax – A 2001 Chevy 2500HD (chopped down to fit a 5 ¾ bed), LB7 Duramax, 14mm CP3, homemade 100% over injectors, Stealth 67 turbo, and a mildly upgraded Allison transmission.
• Ron Maple’s Cummins – A mid-’90s Dodge Ram 2500, P-pumped 24V, 13mm pump, 6×16 injectors, Stainless Diesel S475, and a 47RH auto with a built valve body and converter—oh, and 300 extra horsepower worth of nitrous.
• Tyler Hewitt’s Power Stroke – A 1991 Dodge Ram, but with a 6.0 Power Stroke swap, KC Turbos Stage 2 Jetfire, 250/100 injectors, and a whole lot of nitrous.
• JH’s Power Stroke – A 2004 F-250, studded 6.0, 190/75 injectors, KC Turbos Stage 3, and an unholy amount of nitrous.

With their trucks built and budgets maxed out, it was time for the real test—the competition.

The Gauntlet

The Poor Diesel Challenge wasn’t just about making power. The trucks had to prove their worth in six different events designed to push performance, efficiency, and durability.

The Street Drive portion of the competition was the first test, proving whether these budget-built trucks were more than just cobbled-together piles of parts. If a truck could complete the drive without issues, it earned 2 points, ensuring that reliability played a role in the challenge.

Next up was the Fuel Efficiency Test, which measured which platform could squeeze the most miles per gallon out of its setup. While performance was a major focus of the competition, efficiency still mattered, and the most fuel-conscious build earned 3 points, with 2 points for second place and 1 point for third.

The Dyno Challenge was where raw horsepower and torque took center stage. Each truck’s total horsepower and torque were added together to determine an overall power figure, with the highest number claiming 5 points, second place taking 3 points, and third place earning 1 point. This test was all about who could make the most power within the tight budget constraints.

After proving their numbers on the dyno, the competitors lined up for the Drag Race to see who could actually put that power to the ground. This was a true test of tuning, traction, and driver skill, with the fastest truck securing 5 points, second place earning 3 points, and third place taking 1 point.

Then came the Burnout Contest, where each truck was pushed to its limits in the name of tire-shredding glory. Points were awarded for sheer destruction, with ½ point given for every tire popped and 1 point for successfully driving off the burnout pad under the truck’s own power. However, penalties were in play—½ point was deducted for each use of reverse, another ½ point for letting the wheels stop spinning, and 1 full point was taken away for burnouts under 60 seconds. Additional style points were awarded for utilizing the entire burnout pad, avoiding barriers, and keeping the smoke show alive.

Finally, the Show & Shine contest proved that even budget builds could turn heads. A panel of three judges each had one point to award to the truck they found most visually appealing. While looks aren’t everything in this competition, a well-presented truck still earned some bragging rights.

The Chaos Begins

The street drive proved easy enough for most competitors—except for Robert, who had some issues along the way, costing him a crucial point. Then came the fuel economy test, where Ron Maple’s Cummins took the win, proving that old-school mechanical diesel tech is still tough to beat in the MPG game.

But when it came to raw power, Ron’s P-pumped 24V laid down the biggest numbers on the dyno, securing the full 5 points. The drag race flipped the script, with JH’s 6.0 Power Stroke making full use of his nitrous supply to take home the win. And then there was the burnout contest.

Ron Maple put on a show that no one will forget anytime soon—burning out in drive, slamming into reverse, and then back into drive again, absolutely roasting the tires in every direction possible. It might not have been the most conventional approach, but it definitely made a statement.

At the end of the day, Ron Maple and his Cummins build took the win, proving that with the right mix of budget, experience, and a ridiculous amount of nitrous, you can build a competitive diesel pickup for $10,000.

Looking Ahead: The 2025 Poor Diesel Challenge

The first run of the Poor Diesel Challenge was a massive success, and for 2025, the event is being opened up to the public. Think you can build a diesel truck that competes for $10k or less? Now’s your chance. The rules and challenges will stay largely the same, with a few minor adjustments to ensure fairness and keep the action intense.