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Bigfoot Off-Road & Performance Center and Off-Road ParkThe New Home Of Missouri Monster Mudders From the February, 2009 issue of 4Wheel & Off-Road By Fred Williams Photography by Fred Williams
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Thirty years ago the first monster truck was born in a St. Louis shop, and so began the age of giant trucks on 2 1/2-ton axles crushing cars, mud, and each other. Through the years this trend has grown and evolved multiple times with many different teams coming and going, but Bigfoot has always stayed to help lead the action and keep the kids smiling. So it was with great excitement that we headed to the small town of Potosi, Missouri, where the new Bigfoot Off-Road & Performance Center and Off-Road Park recently opened. We visited with a small group that got to explore the still undeveloped site of 525 acres. With monster deep mud holes, slippery trails, and loose hillclimbs, this will surely be the site of many future off-road escapades by both megabuck monster machines and homebrew beaters. If you are looking for a place to ride in the midwest, whether by mud truck or trail rig, get a hold of the crew at the Bigfoot Off-Road & Performance Center, 573.436.2622, www.bigfoot4x4.com.  There was one hole that no...  There was one hole that no one made it out of, though Charlie Ware gave it a valiant attempt in his '48 Panel Wagon. With a small-block under the hood and Swampers underneath, this homegrown trailblazer was the epitome of cool. We wouldn't change a thing, 'cause beaters are the best.  With the park just opening,...  With the park just opening, the folks that showed up for our preview run had to find their fun on the yet unmapped facility, and nothing spells fun like M-U-D. Michael Snyder brought his '72 Blazer in for some slop hoppin', and spun the Snide-1 through the goop looking for solid terra below.  When you're known for building...  When you're known for building monster trucks, you darn well better bring a monster of a trail machine out to play. Chris Dicus does marketing and P.R. for Bigfoot and showed up in this larger-than-life F-150 on 49-inch Iroks and Dana 60s, spinning a Whipple supercharged 5.4L under the hood. Chris wasn't too excited about taking the company truck in the mud at first, but when the slop started flying, it was too late to turn back and the hammer fell.  Mark Schleipfer of MTX Audio...  Mark Schleipfer of MTX Audio and Fly-N-Hi Off Road had a handful of cool rigs out to play in, but this blacked-out trailrunner GMC Canyon was the sweetest by far. The turd five-cylinder was peeling out thanks to a supercharger, and a custom long-travel suspension, internal cage, and rear tire carrier/race-can rack was ready for some long desert trails or deserted Missouri jumps. We see this trend growing across the nation: four-wheel-drive trail rigs built with prerunner styling and suspension cues.  Chris and Jimmy Harbison were...  Chris and Jimmy Harbison were the two brothers who would attempt anything and bust parts trying. Chris was driving the late-model TJ with Air Lockers...  ...While Jimmy had the black...  ...While Jimmy had the black YJ with red accents. The TJ spent plenty of time bouncing off the rev limiter, while the YJ went home with some twisted leaf springs.  Andrew Pashia wasn't scared...  Andrew Pashia wasn't scared to bring his Forest Green '04 Chevy Silverado in for some good old fashioned mud wumpin'. Andrew had little problem spinning 37-inch Super Swamper Iroks under the Superlift 8-inch lift with the 6.0L under the hood.  Tim Gibson's '94 Wrangler...  Tim Gibson's '94 Wrangler was running full-width 1-ton axles with 4.56 gears and made mincemeat of the hills in the park. The 35-inch Swampers made the needed traction, while the Holley Truck Avenger carb-equipped Chevy big-block took care of the torque. A TH400 auto and NP205 transfer case chose the gears, while leaf springs did the twisting.  Josh Pruitt let his dad Dale...  Josh Pruitt let his dad Dale cruise the park in their '72 Chevy, and Pops showed Junior what the classic iron could do. The 350 V-8, four-speed, and 205 transfer case pushed the General over the dark swamp slop, and the 35-inch BFGs on Weld rims were rarely seen under the black slop.
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