In the automotive world, sports cars are typically gasoline powered. With all the recent power improvements, diesels are getting much-deserved attention. The trucks that these diesels are in are usually heavy beasts, even if they are stripped down for drag strip duty, they are still far heavier than most muscle cars. This is where Nathan Mueller bridged the gap.

Dropping an oil burner into a car isn’t anything new. It has been done before but because of the sheer size of the diesel power plants, they aren’t always the most elegant creations. Mueller was dead set on changing that. Through his shop, One Of Won Customs, Mueller has built a pair of diesel muscle cars that look as though they rolled off the factory assembly line just as they are.

Mueller was inspired to build these creations by a vehicle he purchased in 2011, a 1960’s Cadillac with a 5.9-liter Cummins. The engine sat high in the Caddy, resulting in the hood being ditched. The car was most certainly fun and unique but it just didn’t have the cleanliness that Mueller wanted. Mueller admits “I missed the uniqueness of the Cadillac, the sound, the completely different power feel, the feeling that the torque was going to tear the car in half at any time, and was determined to build something to get that amazing feeling back.” His goal was to drop a diesel into a late-model muscle car, and have it look stock.

Because of the nature of his most recently completed build, Mueller and his team needed a fairly complete car, minus the motor and transmission. The right car was found; a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS. It had been recovered from an insurance auction and was missing the powertrain. The car had a few other small issues, a few dents, and dings as well as a broken quarter window, but all were easily remedied.

A Chevrolet Kodiak shuttle bus with a 6.6-liter Duramax and Allison automatic transmission was used as a donor vehicle. When putting the Duramax into the Camaro, it was clear that it would not fit with the stock hood. With the help of friends, Mueller lowered the engine’s subframe three inches, enough to place the motor in and close the hood just as it did before. As a rule of thumb, Mueller does everything he can to avoid cutting firewalls or transmission tunnels. After the new subframe modifications, the new powertrain dropped right into the car.

To pump out the exhaust, the Kodiak manifolds were retained. Their design lent themselves nicely to the tight confines of the Camaro engine bay. The exhaust is then routed out a custom-built four-inch down pipe that then splits into dual three-inch pipes, releasing to the atmosphere through a pair of five-inch tips routed through the Camaro’s existing exhaust ports in the rear valance.

The beast under the hood is fueled by a stock CP3 injection pump that is backed by the stock Camaro fuel tank. Fresh air is provided by a Rychner Speed and Fabrication 65mm Rated R Stage 2 turbo with an eBay special intercooler system that was modified to fit the custom application. Computer programming is handled by EFILive with tuning by Pela Motorsports. All said and done, the engine pumps out 516 horsepower and pound-feet of torque. All that power in a vehicle less than 5000 pounds makes for a great power to weight ratio.

To keep the car looking as stock as possible, Mueller retained the original wheels and tires. The new Duramax is around 400 pounds heavier than the 6.2-liter V8 that used to hide under the hood so Mueller and his team machined up a pair of custom strut spacers to car ground and wheel-well clearance back.

In the video, you’ll also see the first diesel powered muscle car that Mueller built himself, a 2006 Dodge Charger. Formerly a police cruiser, the Charger was not the goal – the 5.9-liter Cummins was. Mueller considers himself a Cummins guy having spent years owning and working on Cummins powered vehicles in the past, he wanted to do a project with his beloved powerplant of choice. Mueller chose a Charger because he prefers to keep things within the same brand. Cummins from a Dodge Ram, that means it goes in a Dodge muscle car. The Charger was chosen because it was the right balance of cost and muscle car appearance.

Mueller chose a Charger because he prefers to keep things within the same brand. Cummins from a Dodge Ram, that means it goes in a Dodge muscle car. The Charger was chosen because it was the right balance of cost and muscle car appearance.

The long straight-six engine amazingly fit inside the engine compartment with at least a half inch to spare in every direction. Well, every direction but one, down. Again. Mueller wanted the vehicle to look stock. To fit the engine in, the factory subframe was trimmed and notched. To get the hood to close, the rack and pinion steering assembly was lowered down. That allowed for the engine to drop far enough and the hood to close as factory.

One difference between the Charger and Camaro is that Mueller went with a manual transmission. Mueller said that getting the car swapped over to utilize the NV4500 manual trans was actually more difficult than putting the motor itself in. A custom clutch pedal assembly and custom console were in order.

These cars does not sound like a muscle car. The classic clack and rattle of the 5.9-liter 12 valve engine fills your ears with wonder and amazement after you realize that the car is the source of the singing. After many upgrades, the powerplant pushes out an estimated 450 horsepower and 1,100 pound-feet of torque.

When asked which of the two cars his preference leans to, Mueller enjoys them both but tends to lean towards the Camaro. “I have definitely been favoring the Camaro as it is loaded and everything functions as it should. AC, cruise control, Bluetooth radio, etc,” Mueller explains. “I spent an insane amount of time making it reliable and up to OEM standards so I never have any issues with it and have driving it as far as Florida and recently to Detroit to pick up my next build.” The next build is under wraps at the moment but based on what Mueller has already built, we expect it to be legendary.

Nathan Mueller is a proud member of the unofficial Built Not Bought culture and he loves every bit of it. To find out more info on Mueller and One Of Won Customs, head over to their website. Be sure to also check out their Youtube channel for more coverage of what they do.