Grind Hard Is Building An Off-Road Diesel Ferrari And It’s Getting Wild

Evander Long
February 16, 2026

The Off-Road Diesel Ferrari is easily one of the most ambitious salvage builds currently unfolding on the internet. The crew at Grind Hard Plumbing Co. is turning a burnt, crispy shell into a rally machine. Let’s take a quick look how they managed to pull off such thing.

Off-Road Diesel Ferrari

Drivetrain Planning and Cage Surgery

The team first addressed the adapter issues for the Volkswagen engine. The crankshaft utilizes a unique bolt pattern that never came with a manual transmission. Ethan noted, “The problem is this bolt pattern on the crankshaft is entirely unique to this engine.” To solve this, he found a blank drag racing flywheel that allows them to drill their own holes. Attention then shifted to the roll cage, where they had to cut out bars that interfered with the roof. Ethan admitted, “I need to cut out these bars from the roll cage because I messed up where they go.”

Off-Road Diesel Ferrari Crankshaft
Roll Cage of an Off-Road Diesel Ferrari

Fabrication On The Off-Road Diesel Ferrari

Ethan focused on bending new tubes to contour tightly against the roofline. While the powder coat baked on the wheels, the group tested a cheap Amazon electric car. One of their crew members laughed when he realized how much his friend spent and asked, “Wait a minute, you spent $7,000 on this thing?” The toy car struggled to hold a charge but provided entertainment while the real work continued. The team eventually finished the white wheels, and Ethan loved the result.

Electric Car from Amazon

Final Fitment And Overkill Strength

The new tire setup proved to be a perfect match for the bodywork. Ethan observed, “These tires look so good, too. They’re just fat enough to be like meaty, but not like silly wide, and also the offset is absolutely perfect on the rear.” Later in the video, the custom flywheel arrived, and the size was shockingly small. Ethan remarked, “That is the cutest little flywheel I’ve ever seen.” He then welded in the final cage bars and emphasized that straighter tubing is stronger.

Rally wheels of an Off-Road Diesel Ferrari
Flywheel

Moving In The Right Direction

The project is making solid headway despite the complexity of the build. The white rally wheels and the aggressive tire fitment have finally given the car the attitude it needs. Ethan Schlussler wrapped up the update by confirming that they made a lot of progress on the roll cage and clutch setup. This Off-Road Diesel Ferrari is slowly becoming a functional vehicle that will eventually tear up the dirt.

Building an Off-Road Diesel Ferrari