Big Foot Gone Chevy
I’ve been a fan of the Big Foot monster truck since I was a little kid. I used to have Big Foot toys that I would use to roll over all of my hot wheels with. Growing up in Kansas City, with Big Foot headquarters only a few hours away in Hazelwood, MO made the monster truck even more special to me. Of course, its been a few years since I paid attention and I was recently surprised to learn Big Foot is now a Chevy.
Bob Chandler, the creator of Big Foot, virtually invented the lifted truck craze and certainly set off the monster truck craze when he performed the first ever car crush in 1981. But it all started in 1975 when Chandler converted his personal Ford F250 with military axles and 48 inch terra tires into the lifted F250 that would become Big Foot. At first he just used the truck for fun and to promote the family business but he soon began performing truck pulls at events around the country and it just continued to explode until it became the iconic figure we all know today.
But that iconic figure recently had a major change take place. In 2008 after 35 years and over 15 different Ford Big Foots, Chandler converted to a Chevy Silverado. The decision to change was simply a business decision. Ford dropped Big Foot from sponsorship and Chevy came knocking with a new opportunity. And it’s not just the body that changed. The engine is now a Chevy as well. Chandler said if you run a Chevy you run a Chevy motor. He isn’t into brand mixing.
Reactions from fans have been mixed. Understandably many people are upset that a change was made after all of these years. In a couple truck forums some people were calling it criminal and a disgrace, saying Big Foot will and always should be a Ford. Anything else is an abomination. But others are more receptive. Typically these are the folks that were Chevy fans to begin with. “I liked Big Foot before, now I like it even more.” One post in the forum stated.
Love it or hate it, it looks like the Chevy Big Foot era has begun and is here to stay. Because really, how can make something this big disappear?
Category: Uncategorized
