Dooley’s Diabolical Diesel
Dooley’s Diabolical Diesel opened for business in 2013 and is operated by three skilled technicians, including owner Casey Dooley himself who can be found wrenching daily, in a 3-stall shop with room in the back for light-duty and diagnostic work. Casey’s shop workload equates to a 50/50 split between routine repair and maintenance to installing all-out performance parts. In addition to working on customer vehicles, Dooley’s is currently working on a pair of early Duramax-powered trucks that are being prepped to compete in a variety of events.
“Running Dooley’s is a life-long dream come true,” says Casey. As a child he was introduced to the world of auto mechanics by his grandfather, the man who deeply influenced his youth. Casey’s no-nonsense grandpa was a marine sharpshooter in World War II, and as he puts it, “A really cool dude.” When he returned from the war, he became a rancher, but in the winter months he could be found in his shop assembling motorcycles and snow mobiles that were ordered from the Sears catalog. He became the local go-to expert for assembly.
At the age of four Casey’s family moved to the ranch where he became his grandfathers apprentice, spending afternoons wrenching together in his shop. From that moment on Casey knew what he wanted to do in life. As a teen in high school he continued his love for working on machines and his driveway could often be found stuffed with vehicles from local farmers.
After high school Casey moved to Phoenix, AZ to attend the Universal Technical Institute with his sights set on a degree in Automotive Technology. Soon after getting his degree, Casey joined the Army as a 63H all-wheeled and track vehicle mechanic and served in “Operation Iraq Freedom 1.” After leaving the military and working as a tech in a few places he then signed up with a company called KBR, formally a subsidiary of Halliburton, which took him back to Iraq where he became a lead technician thanks to his experience overseeing a team of experts.
After Casey’s contract was up with the KBR, he returned home to work a few jobs including highway construction and as part of the maintenance crew in an oil field. He’d completely gotten away from the auto tech field.
Fed up with the daily grind of working for someone else, he came up with the idea of Dooley’s Diabolical Diesel. The idea was hatched one Sunday over a slice of pizza. “I had to do something different,” Casey recalls. “I needed to get back to my roots. I rented a little shop for about a year until I found out that my buddy was looking to get out of his building for a bigger place for his business. Well, I took his place, which was far larger than mine, and moved out of my smaller shop as quickly as possible. I’ve been here ever since.”
With Casey’s grit, determination and loyal customers, Dooley’s Diabolical Diesel will soon grow beyond his current shop. There’s no doubt his grandfather is looking down, smiling from ear-to-ear.
Dooley’s Diabolical Diesel
2012 13th Street SouthGreat Falls, MT 59405
(406) 781-0978
facebook.com/DooleysDiabolicalDiesel