Wood Pickup Doesn't Rust or Rattle

Wood Pickup Doesn't Rust or Rattle PICKUPS Miscellaneous 34-3-21 Don Ramberg gets lots of attention with his wood pickup. The knotty pine truck started life as a Volkswagen Bug, but when Ramberg needed a parade vehicle to promote a family business, he gave it new life. "I stripped it down to the frame, engine and drive train," says Ramberg. "I used angle iron to frame out the new body, but I wasn't sure how to cover it." A neighbor had given Ramberg some leftover knotty pine interior siding to burn in his shop. "My wife and grandson pulled it out, saying it was too nice to burn," recalls Ramberg. "I decided to use it for the truck." Cutting and assembling the wood panels was the easy part. "I had to finish all the wood and varnish it," he says. "I also had to sand down all the angle iron and paint it black, as it serves as decorative trim." Before reassembling the wood, Ramberg had to finish the rebuild. Because he had stretched the hood, he had to redo the steering column. Eliminating the rear seat gave him room for a set of seats from a Ford Pinto and more legroom. That meant moving the foot pedals as well. Once the knotty pine was back in place, Ramberg finished trimming the car. "I used foam pipe insulation tubes around the edges of the doorways and other exposed edges and then covered them with Naugahyde," says Ramberg. "The foam gives a little added cushion." The front bumper was fashioned out of an oak 4 by 4 with oak bumper guards. Lights were trimmed with oak rings, while their interiors were backed with Tupperware bowls to keep wiring dry if Ramberg had to drive through puddles. Wood under the fenders and inside the fender wells was painted with black top roofing cement to protect it from water. The redwood with oak trim flatbed sits over the engine. Ramberg used an older style Volkswagen engine. The fan, bolted to the back end of the crankshaft rather than on top, left more room for the bed. "People love to see it, and it's fun to drive," says Ramberg. "I call it my æBughauler'." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Don Ramberg, 33501 155th Ave. S.E., Mentor, Minn. 56736 (ph 218 637-2595).

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