The Bloomsburg 4-Wheel Jamboree: Diesel Trucks, Excitement, And Rain

As July 7, 2023 approached, my anxiety and excitement seemed to exponentially grow with each passing day. Not only was I planning to attend the 4-Wheel Jamboree in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, but this year, I was also taking my truck (Project WorkHorse) to the show. This would be the first time since roughly 1997 that I was able to have a truck at this event. So, when 5:00 a.m. on the 7th rolled around, I loaded up my cooler of frosty beverages and bologna sandwiches and made my way to what would be the home of excitement for a couple of days.

Days one and two were definitely sunny, as evidenced by the farmer’s tan I now have. In fact, WorkHorse’s thermometer said it was 104 degrees on Saturday. But Sunday, that was another story altogether. Mother Nature did not see fit for the folks at the 4-Wheel Jamboree to have a packed show field. In fact, in the early a.m. hours, the crew on hand actually made a Facebook post apologizing to all that due to safety reasons, there would be no open showfield on Sunday because of the weather. But that did not deter a lot of people as a few diehards remained and the expedited awards ceremony was very well attended.

Signs are usually created after something occurs. By the looks of this one, I want to party with these people.

However, the two previous days didn’t disappoint if you were looking for things to do. I spent Friday checking out everything there was to see, and for a “work day,” there were more trucks to look at than you could imagine. All day long, there were monster truck rides for all, and the mud racing was… well… messy and attention-grabbing. That’s all well and good, and I could definitely talk for hours about what all happened at the show, but I don’t want to make you feel bad about what you missed. So, since this is a website dedicated to all things diesel, I feel it’s only fitting that we take a look at a few of the more notable diesel trucks that I found scattered around the show.

Old And New Combined At The 4-Wheel Jamboree

Talk about a cool ride. Tim Fritz has seamlessly melded a 1970 Ford F-350 cab and bed with a more modern 1979 F-250 frame and a 1997 interior and 7.3-liter Power Stroke diesel. This is definitely a well-put-together truck. Tim also told me the body was painted nearly 13 years ago, but you couldn’t tell by looking at it. We have an upcoming feature on this ride in the near future.

Any Level Of High

Next up is Joe Chico’s 2016 F-350. The detail and cleanliness of this ride were astounding. Hydraulic cantilever shocks are above and beyond cool, and the fabricated and highly polished Any Level Lift chrome suspension bars really made the underside of the truck stand out. I couldn’t see under the hood, so I don’t know if the engine was stock or if it benefitted from some power-enhancing parts. I do know it has a 6.7-liter under the hood as the Instagram sticker on his window is anylevel_6.7.

Ridin’ High Sierra

I’ve shown you guys and gals a couple of Fords from the 4-Wheel Jamboree, now we need to get to the Chevy contingent. Justin Ribbick brought his 2016 GMC Sierra from Akron, New York. Under the hood, the 6.6-liter Duramax featured a few upgrades, but underneath is where many of the shop hours were spent. For starters, a 9-inch Cognito Motorsports lift gets the Jimmy to another level, and 38-inch Mickey Thompson tires and Hostile wheels complete the look. This was definitely an eye-catcher.

Way Too Cool At The 4-Wheel Jamboree

When you think of a Dodge Power Wagon, I bet this is not the first thing that comes to your mind. In fact, I bet not many of you reading this have probably ever seen one like this. Unfortunately, there was no show card in the window so I can’t give the owner credit for his cool ride. But under the hood is a Cummins 4bt engine backed by a manual transmission. A quick look inside lets you know this truck is all about basics, as there is… well… not much of anything except a bench seat, a gauge cluster, and a few control knobs on the dash.

Like Son, Like Father

Usually, trucks get handed down from father to son. For Archie Simms. things worked the other way around — sort of. Archie’s son used this truck as his daily while he was in school, but eventually had to sell it. Several years later he bought it back and then Archie ended up with it. It was not in this good of shape when Archie began the rebuild, but now it is truly one gorgeous OBS Ford. The truck looks great and the story was so interesting, I chose this truck as my pick of the 4-wheel Jamboree. Keep your eyes peeled for more in this truck in the near future.

A Gathering Of Much More At The 4-Wheel Jambo

There were a couple hundred trucks at the 39^th Bloomsburg 4-Wheel Jamboree, and while not all trucks at the show were powered by a diesel engine, there was enough excitement surrounding everything else that I know one guy who will be driving 1,200 miles north again next year to attend. Hopefully, I’ll see you there.