Chuckles Garage in Santa Rosa, CA built its 1,200-horsepower, Cummins-powered 1949 Ford F-100 pickup for multiple purposes. The truck, aptly named “Old Smokey,” is designed for land speed racing, road racing, and drifting. It’s also the perfect platform for the team at Auto Meter to show off some of its latest products, including the Tach Adapter and Dash Link system.

Auto Meter’s Joseph Mills introduced us to Old Smokey and its owner, Scott Birdsall, and then gave us the inside scoop on the Auto Meter products inside. The full tube-frame truck has a 5.9L Cummins plucked from a Freightliner truck. The engine is outfitted with 91mm and 66mm compound turbos that help the transplanted powerplant make 1,200 horsepower and 2,000 ft.-lbs. of torque.

To allow Birdsall to run a standard tachometer for all the truck’s race activities, Auto Meter outfitted Old Smokey with its Diesel Tach Adapter. The Diesel Tach Adapter has an inductive pickup that attaches to the alternator and reads the rotation through the windings. By pushing a button, you are then able to calibrate a standard Auto Meter tachometer.

Auto Meter’s Dash Link system allows Birdsall to keep close tabs on the radical pickup’s performance. The Dash Link software and hardware package enables the user to display vital, real-time information on an iOS or Android device with no lag. It simply plugs in to the OBDII port and will also provide GPS data mapping and can read and clear trouble codes.

Check out our Facebook Live video from SEMA for a closer look, then scroll down more pics of the truck.

Chuckles Garage “Old Smokey” 1949 F-100 Pickup

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Author: David Fuller

David Fuller is OnAllCylinders' managing editor. During his 20-year career in the auto industry, he has covered a variety of races, shows, and industry events and has authored articles for multiple magazines. He has also partnered with mainstream and trade publications on a wide range of editorial projects. In 2012, he helped establish OnAllCylinders, where he enjoys covering all facets of hot rodding and racing.