When Ronald Tewes grew tired of polishing and ‘babying’ his impressive 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air, he looked around for a new project.
He has a long background working in the engineering industry and a passion for restoring performance vehicles, so when Ronald saw an advertisement offering a DEUTZ V12 diesel engine for sale, it kickstarted his latest project – the Deutzenbarge.
“I learned my trade as an aircraft maintenance engineer, worked in a pump and generator workshop and then spent time underground in the mines. I’ve also spent the past 15 years as a self-employed mechanic and I work on vehicle restorations and performance vehicle enhancements,” says Ronald.
“The 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air was a nice car but I bought it as it was – so it never really felt like mine and I’ve always wanted to build a custom hot rod from scratch. Then the DEUTZ V12 diesel engine popped up for sale only 15km away from where I live and I bought it the next day.”
The engine had been sitting in a shed for 10 to 15 years and was removed from an Atlas Copco industrial air compressor unit. When Ronald inspected it in his carport at his North Queensland home, he found a nest in the valley of the engine. But once that was removed and he bought new batteries and oil, the engine burst into life.
“I knew the DEUTZ brand was super robust and reliable and I’ve worked on DEUTZ engines in the past so I knew I had a good engine and I knew I had to do something pretty good with it,” says Ronald.
“It was in good running condition and was nice and clean inside. When I started it up it almost shook the house down!”
Ronald spent a couple of weeks drafting a design for the Deutzenbarge and then set to work. He wanted his hot rod to be big and low and traditional in style and to be able to seat his wife and three children.
Ronald built the chassis from scratch and designed it to sit low to the ground. The engine sits close to the front of the chassis and the suspension has been designed to move and fit around the powerful V12. The Allison HG750 transmission came from a Mack truck.
“It is definitely a low-budget build and every part has been made at home without any fancy machinery. Much of the vehicle has been designed on the fly but the engine is at the centre of everything,” says Ronald.
The Deutzenbarge – which is about 2.4m wide – has attracted attention from engine and hot rod enthusiasts. Since Ronald posted an initial reel about the project six months ago, he’s attracted more than 2 million views and 41K Facebook followers who are monitoring the hot rod’s progress.
“I think people are interested because it’s unique. The DEUTZ V12 engine is quite rare and the scale of the hot rod is outside the box,” he says.
“The kids love it and my wife has been very supportive – they’re excited to see it coming together.”
The creation of the Deutzenbarge has been supported by Chris Kuhlwind of LK Diesel in Braeside, Victoria, with the business providing Ronald with specific advice and parts, including gaskets and seals.
“We’ve supplied information specific to Ronald’s particular motor – from the power output to the original application that the motor was fitted to,” says Chris.
“We’ve also given Ronald measurements for factory supplied engine mounts and possible solutions to some of the issues for his particular build. As we rebuild a lot of the V8 513 motors, similar to Ronald’s hot rod, we have a lot of parts and model specific information to help him.
“But I haven’t come across a build like this before – plenty of builds have used other manufacturer motors but I’ve not seen any that use an air-cooled DEUTZ motor. It’s good to see that an older DEUTZ is getting some recognition in an area that is less well-known.”