The monster files, when giants roamed the Earth.

So I had some extra details that I had gathered on monster trucks that didn't quite fit in with my diesel series. Rather than let them go to waste here's one extra post on my favorite automotive freak show. Most of you may know that the tires are really what make the monster trucks unique. In the four wheel drive community bigger is better. At the start of the monster truck movement it got to the point where traditional truck tires were not enough. So the pioneers in the late '70s and early '80s looked elsewhere for resources. Farm, construction, forestry and even mining vehicles were scoured for their unique, and massive tires. The early builds used military wheels and axles to support the weight of these new tires. With the exception of the motor, the biggest cost of each monster truck are the tires. On average the "terra" tires are 66 inches tall, 43 inches wide, and cost $5000 or more each. This price does not include the rims. The tires weigh over 800 lbs. each. On average monster trucks are 10,000 pounds, so a good chunk of that comes just from the wheels and tires.

 

 

In normal farm applications these oversize tires are not modified. Their wide stance and deep treads are meant to help pull heavy equipment across soft terrain. They provide enough buoyancy to help move a vehicle over swamps, marshes and even rivers. More important, they can do all of this without damaging crops. The extra weight of a stock tire however affects the performance (and safety) of monster trucks. So the tires are shaved using a hot tool. Hundreds of pounds of rubber are cut from each tread. The process of shaping each tire can take over two days. Teams sometimes have different treads or patterns that they cut depending on the types of shows they perform in. If a truck performs on mainly concrete courses they would have almost no tread. If they performed on mixed courses with dirt, and asphalt then a light tread would suffice. They would cut very little off if they performed on sand.

 

There were no templates to work from in the early days of monster truck construction. Each vehicle was completely unique. Builders were figuring out how to create suspensions, what types of motors and transmissions to use, and even the different sizes of terra tires to go with. The profile, or stance of each truck was different. This was something that I absolutely loved about the early days of monster trucks. Each truck had its own personality. Today the sizes and frames are almost all uniform with just a different fiberglass body on top. Back in the '80s a long-bed or short-bed truck determined the wheelbase, or distance between the wheels. Longer trucks tended to race better and turn quickly. Shorter wheelbase trucks tended to bounce, and lose control quickly because their center of gravity was very high. Yet for many of these builders the look of the truck was more important than how it performed.

 

Everyone knew that the big trucks could crush cars, but how many could look good while doing it? Some trucks were considered more for show rather than for sport. One of these was Showtime. It had a bright yellow paint job and a lot of chrome detailing. It did compete in many events but it also looked amazing. It boasted a powerful sound system, and it showed up perfectly polished in many car shows. The 1978 Ford Bronco had a shorter wheelbase than others, and when it that was combined with 73 inch tires, then it really stood out. There were a fewer number of trucks that used 73 inch Firestone Flotation 23's rather than the 66 inch Goodyear Terra's that most ran with. These trucks included Casper by Dale Harris, High X-pectations by Scott Palmer, Lon-Ranger by Gary Bauer, and the Giant by Kirk Dabney. When those trucks lined up against others the difference was noticeable. The extra size of tires also meant they raced slower and broke parts with more frequency. It was a small price to pay to stand out from the crowd. But like I said, in the early days bigger was better, and some builders started going to extremes.

 

The Dabney brothers, Kirk and Kevin, experimented with different monster building techniques. Instead of a truck for example Blue Thunder was a 1968 Camaro SS. It was piloted with a joystick from a Huey helicopter. That bar not only controlled the front wheel steering, but also the lights, nitrous, hydraulics, and rear wheel steering. Then they built two Nissan King Cab trucks. Mega Force and Alien. They started with 66 inch Goodyear Terras as well, but then made the switch to 80 inch Heavy Duty Deep Tread Firestones. When paired against other monsters these compact trucks looked gigantic. In fact the Nissan's were advertised as the "world's largest mini trucks." The only other import trucks that compared were The Toy. A 1985 Toyota Hilux compact by Joe Rinke that also sported the 80 inch Firestone's. It actually had a giant metal wind up key in the truck bed that rotated, making it look like an enormous toy. I have very vivid memories of seeing this truck as a child. Then there was So High Too by Dave Bell. The 1985 Toyota Hilux long bed had 73 inch Firestones, however the body rested on an elevated frame that made it stand over 13 feet in height.

 

Shots kept getting fired at Bob Chandler and his Bigfoot team as monster trucks got bolder. Every new build was a chance to do something original, and try to dethrone the king of the monster trucks. I had mentioned in the previous series that Jeff Dane's Awesome Kong II had a 3000 hp engine from a helicopter. In the golden age of monster creators Scott Stephens built the Coors Brewser, and Coors Silver Bullet with engines from a jet airplane, each generating over 1,800 hp. Then there was the diesel powered beast Godzilla. It took years to build, and when it was unveiled the monster truck community took notice. With its "standard" 73 inch tires, and custom features, it was much bigger and heavier than Bigfoot. The builders Al Thurber Jr., and Al Thurber III wanted to make their beast incomparable so they got even bigger tires. With 96 inch Firestones (and gold plated rims) Godzilla stood 16 feet in height, taller than So High Too. It weighed 28,000 lbs. Many thought that Bigfoot couldn't compare. History would prove them wrong.

 

Bob Chandler got tired of comparisons and wanted to settle the issue once and for all. Bigfoot was the King of the Monster Trucks. To prove it he built different versions of Bigfoot that could support 10 foot tires. That's not a typo. He has several sets of 120 inch Firestone tires. Their origins of those tires are fantastic. The LeTourneau Land Train started off as a military project in the 1950's. The company wanted to create an off road vehicle that could cross any terrain, especially extreme locations like the arctic or desert environments. This was to support research stations that could not be accessed by helicopter or ship. Roads were not readily available where this beast was headed. The company created hybrid diesel, electric motors that went into each wheel and helped pull the train over everything. Several versions of the land train were built, each better than the last. Each of those sported the enormous 10 foot tires. Sadly the military stopped testing the train, and parts of it ended up scattered all over the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

 

In the mid '80s Bob Chandler was on tour with Bigfoot when he saw some of the enormous tires at a salvage yard in Seattle. The owner was asking tens of thousands for them, so Chandler let it go. He returned later and offered to buy multiple sets at a lower price. After lots of back and forth they finally agreed on a price. Chandler then started work on Bigfoot V. Not satisfied with being able to run with a single set of 10 foot tires he created rims that could connect two sets, or "duallys." Its total weight jumped from 28,800 lbs to over 38,000 lbs. Each tire weighs a ton, with the aluminum wheel they jump to 2,400 lbs. In dually configuration that is over 19,000 lbs. In the end Bigfoot V stood 15' 6" tall, 13' 1" wide, 20' 5" wide with duals. In 1986 Chandler set the Guinness Book of World Records for the biggest, tallest and heaviest pickup truck. By this point Chandler was on top of the world. It was apparent that Godzilla and the rest could try to take the title, but his best could never be beaten. With the Bigfoot name out there it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came calling again. Silver Pictures needed an expert to build a monster truck for a very expensive stunt. Chandler's shop rose to the occasion and they created Bigfoot VII so it could be used in the 1989 movie Roadhouse.

 

Bigfoot VII originally had the traditional 66 inch tires. In the movie they used the truck to drive through an auto dealership, crushing every car inside. Estimates say the shot cost about a half million dollars to put together. I'm sure most of that went into building Bigfoot VII. After the movie Chandler returned it to his shop configured the truck so that it could also use the 10 foot tires. Chandler was approached by the Race Rock Cafe, to sell them Bigfoot VII for their collection. The cafe was a themed restaurant in Orlando Florida that had racing memorabilia from all over the world. The engine and transmission were removed and the truck sat outside as a show piece. The restaurant closed down in 2007 and all the memorabilia was sold off. Bigfoot VII ended up at Fun Spot USA in Kissimmee. The amusement park painted the truck slightly different and changed the name to BigFun. This version of Bigfoot was so iconic that an homage to it appeared in the Splat Pack, a video game expansion to Carmageddon. The Mac and PC title from 1997 had a cult-like following (I was a huge fan). The truck went by the name of the Monster Masher. It sported "Firestarter" tires and was driven by Herman Monster.

 

With the Bigfoot legacy secure this piece of history could be laid to rest. But if you know me then you know that I like to dig a little deeper. What if I were to tell you that there was a monster truck even bigger than Bigfoot VII? It turns out that in the super heavyweight category Godzilla had the third biggest tires, and Bigfoot VII was the runner up. There was a colossal monster truck from Canada that owned the title. This enormous beast went by the name of Superfoot. It was the undisputed champ of gigantic monster trucks. It used 150 inch tires, that's 12 feet, 6 inches of rock hard rubber. The tires came from an earth mover, one of those enormous yellow dump trucks that Tonka modeled their toys on. The tires were designed for enormous mining equipment and definitely not for regular trucks. It didn't stop the madman Richard Arel from trying the impossible. Richard was known for tinkering with engines, transmission, and making his own vehicles for use on his pig farm.

 

The original name of the 1980 GMC 3500 truck was Suberfoot, it was the French-Canadian spelling of Superfoot. Arel had actually put two GMC trucks together to make his ultimate farm truck. This was way back in 1982, making him a pioneer of the culture. He put his (then) black and red truck on 66 inch terra tires, and it became the first Canadian monster truck. He did stadium shows all over the country. He was joined by the Super Toy, a Ford monster truck and fellow early Canadian monster. Suberfoot was eventually painted hot pink with bright blue lettering on the side. The spelling was changed to English. When the monster truck shows slowed down Arel decided to use his truck as a centerpiece at Le Madrid, a hotel-restaurant that he owned. The restaurant was a popular rest stop, it was situated on the long road between Montreal and Quebec City. It featured a number of roadside attractions, including a collection of giant cement and fiberglass dinosaurs. Superfoot would fit right in with them.

 

To make it really stand out however Arel built an extended frame and mounted the 12 foot tires on the truck. The engine and transmission were removed and it remained outdoors for years, just like Bigfoot VII. The downside was that he let the truck fall into disrepair. He would tell patrons that he was going to restore it someday but that day never came to pass. The truck ended up rusted and covered in graffiti near the end of its life. Arel sold off the property in 2011 and the truck vanished. Many assumed to the scrap yard, but I like to imagine that it got bored and instead ran away. It now roams the countryside looking for abandoned cars to flatten. Like a cryptid it pops up every now and then to startle young motorists. So if you're ever driving alone in the middle of nowhere and see a bright pink giant off in the distance, just keep moving, or you might get crushed! If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

American Daredevil, the monster trucks that changed the world, final part

 

For more than 40 years Bob Chandler had been widely considered the father of the monster truck. It was a title that he never claimed but rarely disputed. His Ford was called the “King of the Monster Trucks.” Other builders, and drivers would come out over the years claiming that they had bigger, and more powerful trucks earlier. They should be considered the real fathers of the monster truck phenomenon. By his own admission Chandler remembers someone from Michigan showing a picture of his build. It was an earlier truck with 2 1/2 ton running gear, the monster standard. The truck lacked Chandler’s four wheel steering which many acknowledged made Bigfoot truly unique. That person's name was lost to history, could he have owned the original monster truck?

 

 

The thing about the four wheel drive community is that people had been experimenting with military, and farm components on their trucks for years if not decades before Bigfoot. It was many men working on similar ideas around the same time as Chandler that led to monster truck culture. Many different cultural movements happened in the exact same same way. Take the evolution of Hip Hop in the early ‘70s as an example. Many forces in New York helped lay the foundation. Afrika Bambaata, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool Herc and Grand Wizzard Theodore, were deejays and emcees that threw block parties. They had their finger on the pulse of street culture. They each added an element that led to a revolution. No single person could be called the true father of Hip Hop. Monster trucks, hot rods, street racers, and just about any other car culture subdivision were very similar in that regards.

 

There were people like Everett Jasmer (USA-1), Don Freed (God of Thunder), and Fred Shafer (Bearfoot) all working on bigger and bigger trucks back in the late '70s and early '80s. If history had gone a little different the most iconic monster truck would probably be called King Kong, and the owner / builder Jeff Dane would be wearing the crown. Dane was a friend of Chandler’s. The duo each had their own Ford F-250’s that they would customize. Chandler’s was a ’74 model, and Jeff’s was a ’75. They appeared with their trucks at the same events on many occasions. Jeff however had started lifting his truck and going with oversize components sooner. Both had 48 inch non-directional military tires when they started crushing cars. This was before moving up to 66 inch terra tires, created for fertilizer spreaders. The bigger tires became the standard for monster trucks. Both trucks had also been featured in a number of magazines.

 

Many witnesses would testify that Dane was actually the first to start crushing cars, at least half a year before Chandler if not earlier. According to Jeff it was Bob that asked him for advice on how to crush cars when promoters wanted to see Bigfoot do that in events. History certainly would have been different if a certain promoter had walked into Dane’s shop and saw video of what his truck could do. What made King Kong unique was actually the power plant. The majority of monster trucks ran on heavily modified gasoline, or alcohol racing engines. Kong had a Continental Diesel engine. It generated about 600 horsepower and enough torque to move the massive truck up and over anything. A large silver smokestack protruded from the side of the hood. The truck belched huge plumes of black smoke when it ran. It was an eye catcher on the show circuit. Everything that Bigfoot could do King Kong could do as well. Mud bogs, tractor pulls, hill climbs and car crushes. It proved that it was no slouch in the performance department.

 

The Brodozer is touted by Monster Jam as the first and only diesel monster truck. It certainly is a pioneer on several fronts however it is certainly not the first. King Kong would not be the last. Dane didn’t have all of the resources of Chandler. He didn’t have the luxury of building a new Kong every year. Early on it was fixing and rebuilding the same King Kong again and again for competition. Perhaps dressing it up with a new paint job. As he became more successful he eventually started building new rides, each more radical than the last. The Undertaker, the Punisher, Awesome Kong, Awesome Kong II, and King Kong II and III. He was not happy simply repeating the same building techniques. He experimented with original chassis, with engines and more. Awesome Kong II for example was one of my personal favorites. The 1984 Ford F-150 stepside truck featured a 3000hp aircraft engine in the bed. Dane was not the only builder that took chances with diesel technology.

 

Rollin' Thunder was the world’s first monster van. It started its life as an ordinary 1972 Dodge Tradesman Van. The owner / builder Jim Oldaker used the van to transport dirt bikes in Southern California. He had already put a hundred thousand miles on it when he decided to convert it. He was going to make it a four wheel drive but then saw a picture of Bigfoot and went in a different direction. The engine was swapped out for a 600hp Detroit Diesel from an abandoned water truck. Actually the truck wasn’t abandoned as much as it was torched during a union labor dispute at a nearby construction site. Oldaker rebuilt the engine and converted the bright orange van to a monster circa 1984-85. The van wasn’t fast but it was powerful and popular. Rollin’ Thunder was in high demand and Oldaker toured the country for exhibitions. I have fond memories of this van because it was parked in Wilmington California. I think it was the location of his Streetable Customs shop. According to his bio Oldaker was based out of Redondo Beach but I always saw the van in Wilmington on family outings.

 

Around 1986 Al Lucas debuted one of the earliest diesel monster trucks on the East Coast. Grizzly was a 1978 Ford Bronco, and it was powered by a Detroit Diesel engine similar to Rollin' Thunder. Lucas worked in construction in the New York area, specifically with moving equipment. He knew the ins and outs of diesel motors, from traditional big rigs, gigantic earth movers, and everything in between. Like many of the pioneers he built his monster from scratch. For the frame he used structural tube steel, this was used more for buildings than vehicles. It made his truck heavy but strong. He also set his truck on 73" Goodyear tires, making it taller than the average monster tires. From his experience with long haul trucking Lucas employed a Jacobs Engine Break to help stop the massive beast. Grizzly was among one of the biggest, and heaviest diesel monsters that ever lived. There was an earlier diesel powered monster truck that could be considered the biggest, and baddest of them all.

 

Al Thurber Jr. and Al Thurber III from Rhode Island wanted to shake up the 4x4 community. By the mid ‘80s all of the good monster names had been taken. There was Bigfoot, Cyclops, Frankenstein, Taurus, and of course King Kong. When you think of the king of the monsters, what usually comes to mind? Ah yes, Godzilla! The 1983 Ford F-250 had been in the building stages for several years. Hundreds of thousands of dollars had been poured into it when it jumped into the mainstream in 1985. There were a number of electronically controlled gimmicks on the truck. It had a remote control hood and tail lift, steps and light show. It had gold leaf lettering and a brilliant green paint job featuring the atomic beast. The engine and trim were chrome plated for even more flash. It looked to be part show, and part show, capturing the design elements of the original Bigfoot and improving on them in almost every regard. Many wondered if Bigfoot would finally be dethroned as the king.

 

Godzilla was powered by a Detroit Diesel engine, cranking out 1000+ horsepower and 1,850lbs of torque. All that power was needed to move the 74 inch Goodyear Terra tires. They were much bigger than the standard 66 inch tires that most ran. On occasion it would swap out to even bigger 96 inch Firestone tires. Take a look at the picture above for the tires with gold rims to get a sense of scale. It was bigger and badder than just about every other truck, save for Bigfoot V and its 10 foot tall Firestone tires. Sadly there would never be a showdown between the two. It turned out that the Thurbers had used the Godzilla name without permission from the movie studio Toho. The truck had already been featured in a number of magazines, and books. The father and son team had even started selling merchandise using the name. The owners needed to rename the truck and sell it off to recoup the cost of a legal battle.

 

Diesel powered monster trucks would fade into obscurity shortly after Godzilla. The trucks built in the early '90s were evolving to be lighter, faster and more powerful. Over the next 20 years the monster builders had transitioned into full blown racing technology. Modified street trucks could no longer compete with the new generation. The small garages, and four wheel drive hobbyists that founded the sport were out of luck. Everything was custom built. The frame, suspension, engine, and driving components were all specialized. At a quarter of a million dollars (or more) per build it stood to reason that corporate sponsors became invaluable to teams. While Diesel engines were strong they took a long time to spool up and deliver that power. They were all but useless on the racing circuit. Alcohol engines with superchargers offered instant power. The diesel industry however had changed greatly through the ‘90s and ‘00s. The ability for those motors to generate power on the fly was becoming reality.

 

A veteran monster driver / builder named Dave Radzierez wanted to get diesel engines back into the spotlight. He found corporate sponsors willing to support his unconventional idea. Flowmaster helped bankroll his first attempt. An all-modern tube chassis, mid-engine construction. The Hushpower Diesel was a Dodge Ram-bodied truck. It ran in exhibitions between 2007 - 2010. The Cummins-powered diesel generated more than 1,000hp and had been a staple in the Dodge family for years. Now spectators were getting a sense of its full potential. The truck was well received but didn't see much head-to-head competition. The years of travel caught up and it needed some work. Dave got it in the shop to get a new body and some mechanical changes. AirDog Diesel appeared shortly after and ran from 2010 - 2011. Dave was not satisfied with his initial attempt. His follow up truck was far more ambitious, and interestingly enough built in just 33 days for the SEMA (after market auto parts) show in Las Vegas.

 

The XDP (Xtreme Diesel Performance) truck was modeled on a Ford F-250, like Bigfoot and King Kong. The 2011 monster had an all new Cummins motor generating more than 1,500hp. This new truck was much sportier. Able to run in competition on the independent circuit against established monster trucks. It proved to be capable of holding its own in racing and freestyle contests. Radzierez was demonstrating that his truck could do it all. He even landed the first diesel monster backflip. To make sure it was safe for competition his team invented a new remote ignition interrupter (RII). Normally officials have a "kill switch" that allows them to shut off the truck by remote control. This is in case the driver is incapacitated or loses control. Diesel engines do not use spark plugs, which is normally what the RII disables. XDP and later builds use an air-flow kill switch that shuts off the motor 0.02 of a second slower than a regular RII. The era of the modern diesel monster had finally arrived. There was one setback however. Diesels generated a lot of black, smoky exhaust. XDP could only run on outdoor arenas, it wouldn’t hold up when the trucks ran the indoor stadium shows during the winter months. After several years Radzierez went back to the drawing board.

 

Dave unveiled the XDP II a few years ago. The truck went back to a 2017 Dodge Ram 2500 body. It had a methanol motor through 2017, allowing it to run in indoor Monster Jam events. He then debuted an all new Cummins motor generating some 1,800hp in 2018, shortly after the Brodozer appeared. This engine was also almost smoke free, making it more friendly for audiences and potentially suitable for indoor events. This new Extreme Diesel 2.0 would not get a chance to show off on the big stage. Monster Jam’s marketing had picked a side. They began promoting the Brodozer as the worlds first diesel monster truck and the only one that would be competing in their tour. This was a travesty.

 

Jeff Dane had beaten the Diesel Brothers to the punch by 40 years. Not only that but “Diesel Dave” Radzierez had almost single-handed made diesel monsters competitive as early as 2007. Radzierez parted ways with Monster Jam after Brodozer came out. Many believed that they had intentionally buried his truck simply because they did not own it. The Diesel Brothers skirted the issue by not talking about it. They would back the Monster Jam’s narrative, and their stake in the the Brodozer. I recognized that it was a business decision not to talk about the competition. It was something that Chandler had done more than 30 years earlier when giving interviews. He was protecting his name, and his brand. The livelihood of his company and the dozens of people he employed rested on not giving away credit. I felt that it was poor judgement then, as it is now. Ignoring the legacy that created the industry was disrespectful. It would only prevent other drivers and builders from trying new things, and from pushing the industry forward.

I am happy to promote the stunts of the Brodozer. I will loudly say that it was the first diesel monster to perform consecutive backflips and the first ever to jump over a flying airplane. I will always be in awe of the business, and building achievements of Dave Sparks and Dave Kiley. I do not however want readers to forget why they have a platform. There were many drivers who literally broke their backs driving the first generation of monsters. They were crippled by the sport they founded, and no one remembers their names. There were many owners that went bankrupt chasing a dream. Monster trucks had been abandoned, stolen, and parted out in the boom and bust era following the rise of Live Nation and Feld Entertainment. Those that survived did so by hard work. Some survived by living lean. Some made it by sheer luck. The vast majority faded away.

 

I wish the Diesel Brothers continued success, but I want everyone to see the bigger picture. Jeff Dane should also be considered the father of monster trucks, and Dave Radzierez the person that modernized his diesel legacy. Remember this the next time you're flipping through the channels and see Monster Jam or the Diesel Brothers playing on TV. If you want to find out more about monster trucks I’ve compiled some handy links: Driving Line did an incredible job putting together the most important diesel powered monster trucks of all time. Here is a History article on the birth of monster truck competition. Four Wheeler magazine had an Anniversary feature on Bigfoot. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!