“You know what?!?” That’s the opener for each episode Diesel Brothers, possibly one of the better automotive reality TV shows out there today. These guys are all about making big honkin’ rigs to either give away or fulfill customer orders, but the results are always spectacular.

The El Camino looks promising, but looks can be deceiving.

For Episode Three, the giveaway truck is a massive Ford F-650 equipped with a common-rail Cummins and Allison transmission. “It’s the most desirable platform on earth,” says head honcho Heavy D. The owner and Heavy D agree on the price – $15,000 – and the Diesel Brothers drive away with their next big hit.

Back at the shop, “The Muscle” (oh, these nicknames) is on the phone to buy a 1971 Chevrolet El Camino. He envisions the car as a “quick flip” to have bought, fixed up, and sold for a tidy profit.

The plans come together for the pair of vehicles. The F-650 will have its flatbed turned into a long bed, with an extra set of doors to make it a six-door. The 2WD drivetrain will be swapped for a 4WD, and the axles will be replaced with military-grade ones. Finally, the driveline will be beefed up to handle everything. Meanwhile, the El Camino will receive a 650-horsepower LB7 Duramax motor, a one-ton 4WD truck drivetrain, and 37-inch tires to make it the most badass El Camino that ever lived.

The rendering for the El Camino looks nothing short of brilliant.

The F-650 is no joke, with MRAP axles, six doors, and tons of other goodies.

The F-650 is taken to Stretch-My-Truck, which earns its namesake by, you guessed it, stretching frames on trucks. The truck comes back looking clean, but the remaining space of the frame rails isn’t long enough to fit the bed that Heavy D wants. The MRAP axles are purchased from Boyce Equipment for $1,800 and taken back to the shop. With everything installed, the team runs into a hiccup once the tires on the front axle refuse to spin. It’s in a bind, and we unfortunately don’t get to see what happens in this episode. Until next time…

But things are better for the El Camino. The muscle car has its body separated from the frame, and the frame receives an abrasive treatment as rusted, busted pieces are hacked off to make way for the drivetrain. The donor truck, an old Chevy truck, is brought in from the backlot. With the bottom half the car looking killer, the body is dropped on top and we can really see what The Muscle was thinking.

The motor and transmission are hauled in for a test fitment, and measurements are taken on where the mounts will go to hold it all in place. The team runs into an issue when the ECU refuses to let the engine start up, but Heavy D comes to the rescue and sorts everything out. The team makes a final push to get the car wrapped up, and then it’s complete and ready to sell.

Diesel Dave is so smitten with the El Camino that he purchases it for the full price of $50,000.