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!
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