Most classic truck owners worry about fuel prices. YouTube channel Jp Prat Projects solved that problem by skipping petroleum altogether.
A heavily modified Chevrolet Fleetside Pickup is reportedly running on wood chips, using a homemade gasifier system that feeds combustible gas to a V8 engine.
Even more impressive, the truck has already covered more than 100,000 kilometers, roughly 62,000 miles, without using a drop of gasoline.
That makes this old-school Chevy one of the most unusual real-world fuel experiments currently turning heads online.
How A Truck Can Run On Wood
Instead of pumping fuel from a tank, the truck uses a gasifier mounted behind the cab.
Wood chips are heated inside the unit, producing a flammable gas mixture primarily made of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
That gas is then cooled, filtered, and sent through a mixer that blends it with air before entering the engine.
Once combustion happens, the V8 runs much like a conventional internal-combustion vehicle.
The Engine Is Old-School Chevy V8 Power
According to the video, the truck uses a 1972 Chevrolet 350 cubic-inch V8.
The engine has reportedly been modified with a higher 11:1 compression ratio, a revised camshaft, and an intake setup from a 1986 Chevrolet Corvette.
A large front-mounted cooler also helps chill the gas before it reaches the cylinders.
The result is a classic small-block Chevy operating on wood-derived fuel.
Starting It Is Not Like Turning A Key
There is one major catch: startup takes time.
The owner says the gasifier must be filled, ignited, and brought up to operating temperature before the engine can run.
A newspaper is used as a fire starter, while an electric fan helps draw flame into the system and get combustion going.
The whole process reportedly takes between five and ten minutes.
What Fuel Economy Looks Like
Convenience is not exactly the selling point here.
The truck reportedly consumes around 35 to 40 kilograms of wood per 100 kilometers, or roughly 77 to 88 pounds over 62 miles.
That means owners need a steady supply of processed wood chips and likely some equipment to prepare them.
In other words, you may skip gas stations, but you probably need a woodshed.
Why This Build Is So Fascinating
Modern vehicles are becoming more complex, digital, and sealed off from home mechanics.
This Chevy is the opposite: mechanical, experimental, and built around ingenuity.
It also highlights older fuel technologies that were used during shortages decades ago, long before EVs entered the mainstream conversation.
For car enthusiasts, it is proof that internal combustion can still surprise us.
Is It Practical?
For daily commuting, probably not.
The startup ritual, bulk fuel storage, emissions concerns, and safety issues around carbon monoxide make it far less practical than gasoline or electricity.
However, as a functional engineering project, it is undeniably impressive.
Any truck that can rack up 60,000-plus miles on wood chips deserves attention.