Slide 1

Don’t you love these X-ray vision cutaway shots? We do too. This is what the Summit Racing/BIGFOOT Ford F-250 monster truck looks like under the skin. Virtually every truck in Team BIGFOOT’s stable is built to the same template as this one. The entire tube chassis, the suspension, shocks, etc. are either fabricated in-house or made to Team BIGFOOT’s specifications.

Slide 2

The enormous tires and body make it difficult to see what’s going on close to the truck, especially during extreme vertical stunts. That’s why the floor in BIGFOOT and most other monster trucks is clear Lexan—it allows the driver to see where the truck is going.

Slide 3

Team BIGFOOT is always looking for better ways to build trucks and refine components for better performance. This shock is just one example of the lengths the team goes to. “We milled this shock down with a window in it so we could see where the shock puck is at full compression and full extension,” explained machinist Bryan Bertoletti. ”That allows us to drill out the holes for the two compression tubes and one rebound tube exactly where we want them.”

Slide 4

The BIGFOOT shop also features an in-house machine shop that can handle the majority of machining work required to build a truck. Here, Bryan Bertoletti is machining a hub from one of the monstrous ZF planetary gear axles that sit under each BIGFOOT truck.

Slide 5

This is the latest bullet for the BIGFOOT gun, a 565 cubic inch big block Ford. “This is a brand new configuration, totally different from what we’re using now,” says John Peterson, the man behind the BIGFOOT engine program. As a Pro Mod drag racing fan, John likes to follow what works there. “This engine has a relatively new cylinder head design from Ford Racing, plus an oil-attracting coating on the pistons, bearings, springs, and camshaft. Most of our engines don’t go past 7,500 rpm, but this one is designed to shift at 8,500 rpm.”

Slide 6

Randy Lenger runs Team BiGFOOT’s in-house paint and design shop. He’s in charge of coming up with unique looks for each of the eight touring monster trucks, plus special designs like the pink “Crush Out Breast Cancer” BIGFOOT truck. Not a bad gig if we say so ourselves.

Slide 7

Repairing and repainting bodywork on the trucks is a never-ending task. “Our drivers are so good, they hardly ever roll a truck,” Randy Lenger told us. “But recently, Dan Runte came up with a new trick where he stops the truck standing straight up in a wheelie. Of course when he does this, it rips the rear body panels off! It’s a little extra work for us, but it’s pretty cool, so it’s worth it.”

Slide 8

Every monster truck must be inspected once a year by a certified MTRA inspector. New tech inspectors are certified at the annual Tech School, hosted by Team BIGFOOT. After a few hours of intensive training, the students are turned loose to inspect a monster truck, which has been sabotaged in at least one way by BIGFOOT’s chief mechanic Roy Hooser. Most inspectors are drivers or crew members, but some are family members or even fans.