Ford Truck Built Almost Entirely from Wood Runs and Drives

Wooden Ford truck began its life as a 1979 Econoline van, but today it is rolling artwork.

While scrolling through Facebook yesterday, we came across a post by Pickup Truck +SUV Talk which showcased this unique Ford truck. As you can see in the pictures, this looks like a giant, wooden toy pickup, but this is not a static display piece. This truck is made almost entirely from Red Oak, but thanks to the underpinnings of a 1979 Ford Econoline van, owner Al Schoffelman is able to drive this incredible creation on the road.

Best of all, Pickup Truck +SUV Talk editor Tim Esterdahl traveled to Tea, South Dakota to check out this unique Ford pickup in person. He chronicled the adventure on his site, including a video of himself riding shotgun with the owner.

Wooden Ford Truck

This unique Ford truck began its life as a 1979 Ford Econoline van. Schoffelman removed the rusted body, keeping the chassis, the engine, the transmission and the rear differential. He shortened the frame and moved the engine back a bit creating a wheelbase that would better accommodate a single cab pickup.

The factory small block V8 was cleaned up and fitted with an array of aftermarket upgrades. This includes new cylinder heads, a performance distributor, exhaust headers and an aftermarket carburetor. He also decked the engine out in chrome, including Ford Racing valve covers and an Edelbrock air cleaner lid. The engine is painted the original Ford blue with the front accessories finished in black. The engine looks great, but it is a small piece of this puzzle.

The entire body of this truck, as well as all of the interior components, are handcrafted from red oak.

Rolling Artwork

From the grille, doors and Ford logos to the seats, steering wheel and dashboard, almost every key component on this Ford truck is made of wood. In some cases, something other than red oak has been used for structural reinforcement. Also, the drivetrain obviously doesn’t have any wooden components, nor does the suspension or chassis, but everything north of the frame is made of wood.

There are a few basic exceptions, such as the steering column. It is a normal steering column that has been wrapped in red oak. The accelerator and brake pedal are not wood, nor are the gauges, the radio, the switch panel or the racing style shifter. There is metal in the window frames and metal straps that hold the wood inlay in the bed, but that is about it for the non-wood. Even the trailer hitch assembly, including the ball, are wood.

If you are a child of the 1970s or 1980s and you played with toy cars, the odds are good that you had a wooden truck similar to this one. This gentleman created a life-size version of those classic wooden trucks that he can drive, and we love it.

We have included a few pictures here, but for a closer look at the wooden Ford truck, along with video of a ride-along with the owner, click here to check out the original piece.

Tim Esterdahl images for Ford-Trucks.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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