About Blowing Diesel Designs
We Don't Vent, We Blow Diesel
There’s something about an old truck that takes you back. Maybe it reminds you of the truck your dad or grandpa drove, the one you grew up riding in, or the one you always dreamed of owning someday. For Joel, it was an OBS Ford.
Whether it was spending hours in the garage turning wrenches or driving down a dirt road with the window down and nowhere in particular to be, his truck gave him a chance to clear his head, think about life, and forget about everything else for a little while.
That's really where “We Don't Vent, We Blow Diesel” comes from.
These trucks give us somewhere to put our time, our energy, and sometimes our frustration. They give us something to look forward to. Joel started sharing his builds, the problems, the mistakes, and everything he learned along the way. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, other people who felt the same way about these trucks found him.
And that's really where the story of Blowing Diesel Designs begins.
Built From a Love for Old Ford Trucks
BDD was never part of some big business plan. There was no polished shop or big company behind it. It was Joel working on his own trucks, figuring things out as he went, and sharing it with anyone who wanted to follow along.
As more people started watching, they didn't just connect with the trucks. They connected with Joel. He wasn't afraid to show when something went wrong, when an idea didn't work, or when he simply didn't have the answer yet.
Over time, people began asking about the parts Joel was making for his own truck. One thing led to another, and what started in the garage slowly turned into Blowing Diesel Designs.
From the Garage to BDD
Today, BDD is a family-owned business in Chino Valley, Arizona, designing and manufacturing parts for the same kinds of trucks that started all of this.
What began with the 1980-1997 Ford OBS platform has grown into 2005+ Super Duty axle swap components, long arm 4-link suspension systems, steering components, and an expanding line of parts for 1999-2004 Ford Super Duty and Excursion trucks.
A lot has changed, but the way we do things really hasn't. Many of our products still start with a truck in the shop and a problem we need to solve. We design a solution, build it, install it, test it, and change it when we find something that could be better.
That's also why we share the process on the Blowing Diesel YouTube channel. You see the builds, the product development, the things that work, and the things that don't. We don't want to just put a part online and tell you it's great. We want you to see where it came from and why we built it.
Still Truck People
BDD has grown beyond the OBS trucks that started it all, but we never want to lose the reason any of this started.
We understand spending way too much time in the garage trying to fix one little thing. We understand putting money into a truck you'll probably never get back. We understand why a truck that's been in the family can be worth more to you than anyone else could ever understand.
And we definitely understand why sometimes it makes absolutely no financial sense to keep building an old truck, but you do it anyway.
Because to us, they're more than just old trucks.
Built With Our Community
None of this would exist without the people who decided to come along for the ride.
Some of you have been watching Joel since the early builds. Others found us because you needed a part for your truck, recommended BDD to a friend, stopped to talk with us at a show, left a comment on a video, or simply kept coming back to see what we're working on next.
We're grateful that you trust the parts we build, but even more than that, we're grateful that you've allowed us to be a small part of your trucks and the stories that come with them.
After all these years, those trucks are still our escape, too.
We Don't Vent, We Blow Diesel.
