The Coalmaro SS - a Duramax swapped Camaro

What began as a rolling chassis spotted on Facebook Marketplace—its original LS engine long gone—evolved into one of the cleanest, most sophisticated diesel swaps on the scene. Darcy "Heavy DE," a steelworker and diesel aficionado with dozens of builds under his belt, whose Chevrolet Camaro SS hides a secret under its sleek hood: a 6.6-liter LMM Duramax, the same torquey beast that hauls heavy-duty trucks and buses, now mated to the factory TR6060 six-speed manual transmission.

The build demanded ingenuity. Custom adapters bridge the Duramax to the Camaro's mounts and steering; heavier front springs and strut spacers tame the extra 400 pounds of diesel weight; adjustable tie rods dial out bump steer after a subtle drop. The intercooler tucks neatly underneath, piping hand-fabricated from scratch. Exhaust ties cleverly into the stock tailpipes, and the oil pan—sourced from RF Garage—ensures easy service without drama. Even the fuel system draws evenly from both tanks via a custom low-point setup.

The result? A car that defies expectations. Fire it up, and the turbo whistle and diesel clatter announce something special, yet the cabin remains remarkably quiet—no obnoxious vibrations, just smooth, relentless low-end torque. In sixth gear at highway speeds, it cruises effortlessly at 1,100 RPM, sipping fuel while delivering power that rivals (or surpasses) a stock SS in real-world pull. A little puff of smoke under hard acceleration? Sure. But it clears instantly, proving refinement over raw excess. Darcy, a self-taught fabricator who learned TIG welding just for this project, poured a couple hundred hours into the swap over six months of days off.

In a world of cookie-cutter builds, Darcy's creation reminds us that the best projects aren't about following trends—they're about spotting the opportunity, grabbing the tools, and saying, "I'm doing it." And when the result is this smooth, this torquey, and this cool? That's when a viewer build becomes legend.