- 10,620
- gtp_jimprower
350 miles. six hours of driving. Two hours in the hot sun. A thick coating of brake dust on my front wheels. Verdict? Totally worth it. Brace yourselves: lots of photos and a video incoming!
BIGFOOT 1
Here she is, the original. Bob had her shined up and ready to go: She runs a 460 currently, and rides on, yes, a stock Ford frame.
4x4x4: 4-wheel-drive, 4-wheels on the truck, 4-wheel steering. The story goes that a Rockwell engineer told Bob Chandler that the front and rear axles were exactly the same. Bob took the truck back to the shop, built a rear-steer mechanism, and the rest is history.
The shop phone number is still on the tailgate. The tags expired in '82...yes he used to drive this truck, with 48" tires, (the ones you see now are 66"s) on the street!
This is Foot 1's original engine...a SIX-HUNDRED FORTY C.I. (10.4 LITRE) Ford Boss Hemi V8. It's now running a 460 wedge.
Door of the original monster truck.
BIGFOOT 5
It's kind of hard to miss, sitting on the outcropping right next to the interstate. This is the tallest, widest, and heaviest (production-bodied) monster truck in the world.
I was pretty certain that I could have stood nearly erect under this thing. It's massive. You have to climb up the tires to get in (as Jim Kramer often demonstrated in the '80s.)
The tires are a bit cracked. I suppose that's to be expected, though...they were 40 years old when Bob found 'em in the '80s!
BIGFOOT 8
This is the truck that changed everything. It's running the same body Bigfoot 16 ran last year at Jamboree events, but under that skin, it's the exact truck that changed monster trucks from bouncy, leaf-sprung vehicles of the '80s, to today's tube-frame racers. It's not completely modern - it's front-engined, and has cantilever suspension - but it still looks racy, even today.
Oh, it, like the other 'foot trucks with this scheme, has a cutie mark. (took this photo for reference. ;3)
BIGFOOT 12
'Foot 12 is a dedicated display truck, and, for the MLB all-star game, wore this Chevrolet body, and ran a Chevy engine. However, as it's not a race truck, it's okay.
BIGFOOT 14
Here's the active race truck that, 'Foot 14. Larry Swim did a pretty decent car crush with it...and ended up putting the tailgate ajar on the first hit. Here, have a vid with crappy videography and commentary (the dust and fumes were making me cough) from yours truly. note: That's Jim Kramer with the RII at the beginning of the vid. X3
BIGFOOT 18 (it's not done yet.)
Take a look at the future. This is 'Foot 18. It's a brand-new chassis from Concussion Engineering. As you can see, it looks a good deal like Digger underneath, with a high-strength truss frame, and it also has a very low-slung engine...see here...
'08 SEMA SHOW TRUCK
Saw this in Chicago, and they had it out here, too. They say it broke some suspension bits from a jump, but it's fixed now. mmmm. Matte red.
BIGFOOT FASTRAX
She's a bit worse for wear, this. Bob, I think it's time to give her an overhaul, even if she doesn't run anymore. All those years outside have been hard on her.
MORE TO COME...
BIGFOOT 1
Here she is, the original. Bob had her shined up and ready to go: She runs a 460 currently, and rides on, yes, a stock Ford frame.
4x4x4: 4-wheel-drive, 4-wheels on the truck, 4-wheel steering. The story goes that a Rockwell engineer told Bob Chandler that the front and rear axles were exactly the same. Bob took the truck back to the shop, built a rear-steer mechanism, and the rest is history.
The shop phone number is still on the tailgate. The tags expired in '82...yes he used to drive this truck, with 48" tires, (the ones you see now are 66"s) on the street!
This is Foot 1's original engine...a SIX-HUNDRED FORTY C.I. (10.4 LITRE) Ford Boss Hemi V8. It's now running a 460 wedge.
BIGFOOT 5
It's kind of hard to miss, sitting on the outcropping right next to the interstate. This is the tallest, widest, and heaviest (production-bodied) monster truck in the world.
I was pretty certain that I could have stood nearly erect under this thing. It's massive. You have to climb up the tires to get in (as Jim Kramer often demonstrated in the '80s.)
The tires are a bit cracked. I suppose that's to be expected, though...they were 40 years old when Bob found 'em in the '80s!
BIGFOOT 8
This is the truck that changed everything. It's running the same body Bigfoot 16 ran last year at Jamboree events, but under that skin, it's the exact truck that changed monster trucks from bouncy, leaf-sprung vehicles of the '80s, to today's tube-frame racers. It's not completely modern - it's front-engined, and has cantilever suspension - but it still looks racy, even today.
Oh, it, like the other 'foot trucks with this scheme, has a cutie mark. (took this photo for reference. ;3)
BIGFOOT 12
'Foot 12 is a dedicated display truck, and, for the MLB all-star game, wore this Chevrolet body, and ran a Chevy engine. However, as it's not a race truck, it's okay.
BIGFOOT 14
Here's the active race truck that, 'Foot 14. Larry Swim did a pretty decent car crush with it...and ended up putting the tailgate ajar on the first hit. Here, have a vid with crappy videography and commentary (the dust and fumes were making me cough) from yours truly. note: That's Jim Kramer with the RII at the beginning of the vid. X3
BIGFOOT 18 (it's not done yet.)
Take a look at the future. This is 'Foot 18. It's a brand-new chassis from Concussion Engineering. As you can see, it looks a good deal like Digger underneath, with a high-strength truss frame, and it also has a very low-slung engine...see here...
'08 SEMA SHOW TRUCK
Saw this in Chicago, and they had it out here, too. They say it broke some suspension bits from a jump, but it's fixed now. mmmm. Matte red.
BIGFOOT FASTRAX
She's a bit worse for wear, this. Bob, I think it's time to give her an overhaul, even if she doesn't run anymore. All those years outside have been hard on her.
MORE TO COME...
Quite a lot of history there, but I must admit... I'm still a Dennis Anderson fan. 
