Makers Make
DiamondBack has been welding aluminum bed covers since 2003. Our process is different because our standards are different. We believe the way we do things results in the best bed cover on earth. Ask anyone who’s dabbled in it and they’ll tell you that welding aluminum is an art form. We’ve been fortunate to have more than our fair share of artists on staff at DiamondBack.
We’ve learned from our time in business that the best welders have something in common: they take their work home with them. Better put, they bring their work to DiamondBack. Creators find a way to create whether on the clock or not. They lend us their skill and passion for the day and we’re happy to hand it all over when the bell rings. They’ve got schemes and drawings and minds full of ideas. Far be it from us to stand in the way.
Born and Bred
Brian Morroni is a maker. He was born into a family that could build, maintain, and repair just about anything under the sun. The Moroni brothers were pipe-fitters, builders, machinists, and welders. One of those brothers suffered from a muscular disease that limited his ability to get around. A full-time job was no longer in the cards, but he always made time to work in the shop with Brian. Uncle Sam became a sort of second father to Brian. He’d walk to the car with a cane, grab his protege from school, and the two would get to work.
Their projects ran the gamut. On the best days, they’d fire up the gas torch or bust open a small engine. Of the countless things Brian learned from Uncle Sam, none left more of an impact than discovering the pride a person feels when they’ve built or done something good.
Ticket To Ride
After enough rebuilds with Uncle Sam, Brian knew his way around an engine. And he was fascinated by them. Steam engines in particular, but motorcycles offered a more accessible outlet. When his older brother bought a Harley, it solidified Brian’s obsession. At 16, before he even bothered with a car, Brian got his motorcycle license.
In 2005, after countless hours of informal instruction in his uncle’s workshop, Brian opened a motorcycle shop of his own. Mostly engine work, sometimes chassis, and then one day he ran into a rusted out fuel tank. He welded a new one together, threw it on the bike, and made his customer happy enough that orders started coming in for replacement tanks just like it.
“I’d love to mess around with steam locomotives but motorcycles are a lot easier to store”
Where There’s Smoke There’s A Fire
In 2017, an admirer of Brian’s work suggested that he pay DiamondBack a visit. We were scouring the area for skilled welders at the time, for new artists. Brian joined our weld room that year and immediately hit the ground running. He also learned plenty to take back to his shop.
“The volume and pace at DiamondBack really raised the bar for me. I get to fine-tune my skills on the clock.”
As much as we love having Brian on the production floor, we’re happy to see him head home each day. Where he’ll find peace, quiet, and another day’s worth of fire in a cloud of cigar smoke, and a proudly finished fuel tank.
