From Farm to Hot Rod!

Brian Rogers’ 7.3L Power Stroke-Equipped ’48 Ford Tractor

When most people first look at this 1948 Ford tractor, the general sentiment across the board is pure and utter bafflement—but in a good way. Clearly, it holds the shape of a piece of farm equipment, but it has been restyled in the fashion of a high-performance, hot rod inspired diesel rig, which it now truly is. The state of confusion that settles in after an initial introduction brings with it a ton of questions about what exact modifications have been rolled out to make it look this way. Well, the short answer is a lot of creative tweaks and changes have come together to yield this impressive result, which we will dive into momentarily.

Another top-ranking query that pops up is the reasoning why anyone would want to build such an extraordinary tractor—especially one so ‘old’. To help make sense of the swirling ponderings surrounding this remarkable build, we asked its owner, FireWire CEO Brian Rogers of Danville, Indiana, to fill us in on all the who’s, what’s, why’s and how’s behind the reasoning for this truly one-of-a-kind creation.

Humble Beginnings 

Brian’s great grandfather purchased this ’48 tractor brand new some 76 years ago. In that amount of time, it has only seen brief stretches of downtime with the most recent while it was  being souped up to its current condition. It won’t be putting in the same long hours around the Rogers family farm like it once did before, but who would expect it to? Brian’s sense of nostalgia, and the desire to build what no one else had seen before were the driving forces that pushed him to jump into such a wild project. The tractor’s original 30hp Model T engine was maintained just enough to keep it reporting for duty, but it ultimately would not be suitable for Brian’s big picture plan for the old workhorse. There was also a pickup truck that was equipped with a 7.3L Power Stroke also  working hard on the farm, and to honor that other important piece of the family’s treasured machinery, Brian wished to combine the two into one radically designed package. He soon found out, however, that putting it together in real life played out very differently than how it went down in his recurring daydreams.

Big Power Gains 

Now, even though that last paragraph seems to describe a general engine swap, there was nothing as easy as a generic ‘swap’ about anything throughout the 6 months Brian spent transforming the old family tractor.  Giving the ’48 a standard style frame wasn’t high on the wish list, but the projected blueprint still required there to be a chassis system constructed to make everything work, especially when dropping a  7.3L into position. To properly house the Power Stroke, as well as the rest of the required components, Brian asked Greg Adams to fabricate an entire frame for the tractor, while giving the appearance of there not being a frame present at all. While that may sound a bit confusing, Greg was able to not only hear that request but deliver on it with a one-off chassis that was specially tailored to meet each of Brian’s specific requests and needs for the evolving project.

With the 7.3 sitting nicely in the custom cradle built directly into the new frame, Brian once again teamed up with Greg and Zach Adams to give the freshly planted diesel mill some much-deserved additions. The most noticeable mods are the parallel turbos that have been bolted onto the Power Stroke, along with an AirDog fuel pump, Unlimited Diesel injectors, two Nitrous Express tanks, and a 4-inch exhaust system from Jamo Performance. Talk about a huge boost in horsepower! It’s hardly fair to compare the tractor’s previous modest pony count since the original motor wasn’t exactly intended to deliver face-melting bursts of speed and torque.

Rolling Tough

With so many changes being made to the tractor, Brian thought it best to continue thinking outside the box with its wheel and tire selection. 20×10-inch front and rear 28×16 TIS wheels were ordered, and while waiting on delivery of this very impressive combination, Toyo Proxes RR front tires and 48-inch Interco Bogger tires for the rear were chosen to make ground contact. While the new rolling gear may be considered quite unorthodox, especially for a tractor application, they do pair well and fit the outsider aesthetic Brian’s ’48 was quickly developing. The wheel/tire combo displays elements of true off-roading prowess mixed with the ability to shred asphalt at the track. While we do not doubt the physical feats this 800+hp tractor is now capable of, we aren’t sure if Brian has been tempted to push its maximum output yet—and we don’t blame him.

Body & Soul 

Even though you might not even believe it when you hear it, just over 80 hours have been sunk into the body and paint work. Sure, this tractor doesn’t have doors or a roof to speak of, but the engine cover did have to be extended 11.5 inches to successfully fit over the Power Stroke engine. Most onlookers would not even notice the difference in hood length, because who out there is well-versed on the original length of a 1948 Ford tractor hood? The remainder of the time was spent perfecting the fenders, dash, and all the details that gives the tractor such a mean and clean appearance. Brian Hayden of Racers Customs and Collisions in nearby Fillmore, Indiana is responsible for much of the body and paint work, and to help seal the deal on the completed project, Von Hot Rod added some of his world-renowned pinstripe brush strokes during opening day of SEMA 2021 where it made its grand debut to the world. The striping and lettering further solidifies this rig’s natural old school flavor that shines through even with all its modern amenities.

It’s not uncommon to see high-profile SEMA builds hit the auction block as soon as the big show ends, but this tractor will never be going up for sale. It has been in the Rogers family for so long already, and ever since the opportunity arose to invest so much time into it lately, the family farm means more to Brian now than it ever has in the past.

1948 Ford 8N Tractor

Owner: Brian Rogers
Danville, IN

Chassis & Suspension

• Custom built frame by Greg Adams
• One-off 2-gallon fuel tank

Wheels & Tires

• 20×10 and 28×16 TIS wheels
• Toyo Proxes RR front tires, 48-inch Interco Bogger rear tires

Engine & Drivetrain

• 2001 Power Stroke 7.3L
• Custom designed and built bell housing, frame and engine cradle by Greg Adams, Zach Adams and Brian Rogers
• Custom headers
• Jamo Performance 4-inch exhaust
• CNC Fabrication HPOP, LPOP
• AirDog fuel pump
• Unlimited Diesel Performance stage 1.5 injectors
• Nitrous Express
• IDM and PCM from Jelibuilt Tuning
• Custom engine harness from Rosewood Diesel
• Other engine and performance components from Complete Performance

Body/Paint

• Stock grille
• FireWire LEDs, headlights and accessories
• Body stretched 11.5 inches
• Black paint by Brian Hayden @ Racers Customs and Collision, Fillmore, IN

•               Custom pinstriping by Von Hot Rod