Make it bigger - the conversion to a monster truck!

Recently updated on January 2, 2023 at 06:44 am

Monster trucks are not usually mass-produced in their specific design, but rather have to be converted for this purpose. For this purpose, pickups, off-road vehicles or vans are usually used as the base vehicle. But also SUVs and normal cars can be used for the conversion and even school buses or Stretch limousines we've seen as a monster truck. The vehicles are always placed significantly higher and equipped with extremely large tires. Most monster trucks have high engine power and all-wheel drive.

Why convert to a monster truck

The vehicles delivered from the factory are partially off-road, but the off-road capability also reaches its limits very quickly. This quickly leads to situations in which the tires can no longer grip on slippery surfaces. Appropriate oversized tires can already remedy this. Similar to a tractor, the tires grip better in the mud. So that large tires can be fitted, the chassis must of course be completely changed and the vehicle must be raised accordingly. For this purpose, the entire body of the original vehicle with its engine and interior is ultimately put on special off-road components that vary depending on the vehicle type. So it often happens that a monster truck conversion means that a pickup can reach a height of over three meters. In a nutshell: Basically everything is created below the body in self-made direction. The original body is then transplanted, a powerful engine is installed and the monster truck is ready.

What changes after a renovation?

First of all, the entry height into the vehicle changes extremely. You have to get used to this. Because converted vehicles quickly have a ground clearance of up to one meter or more. With a converted Approach angle from well over 30 degrees a monster truck drives very quickly over natural obstacles in the area. In this way, invisible tree stumps in the area that you roll over are no longer a nuisance. This can easily cause serious damage to other off-road vehicles with normal factory design. Due to the high center of gravity, however, the danger of tipping over is omnipresent. You should always keep this in mind if you are traveling with a monster truck and want to drive over various obstacles.

How is a monster truck conversion done?

Show vehicles show themselves through very extreme modifications. For a common monster truck site conversion, the body is sometimes raised by one meter. The vehicle is then equipped with huge specially made 4 × 4 off-road tires. Rim sizes from 17 to well over 20 inches and oversized tire sizes are of course included. In order to be able to mount the wheels, either a wheel arch extension must be installed, or the wheels can be left completely free. In the meantime, suppliers are sometimes offering special sets for raising the vehicle. Still, it takes a lot of self-direction to create a monster truck. And it goes without saying that the vehicles, especially in this country, cannot be driven on the public road. It does not help if the load compartment or front bar has a corresponding one street legal hat.

Conclusion on the built monster truck

If you want to build a monster truck yourself, you should use a pick-up truck as the chassis. Most Monster Trucks use a larger pick-up as a base. Of course, the car should have all-wheel drive. A simple option is a slightly changed frame and large tires as well as some tuning on the engine. But it only becomes professional with a completely new engine, a special chassis and more than a normal 6-speed gearbox. A good monster truck has individual and particularly stable axles or the complete frame of a truck under the cover. The truck frame can withstand a lot more because the steel is stronger and meets higher requirements. The same applies to truck axles. However, it is also necessary to revise the axles and suspensions. The principle of a good monster truck is similar to that of a truck Dragster-Race car. They are also stable and particularly light. You use countless tubes that are ultra-strong (eg DOM tubes made from rolled strip steel) and adapts them to the wishes of the truck.

powerful shock absorbers must be

Specially made steel dampers should be used for the shock absorbers. They are almost always filled with nitrogen and can withstand a pressure of up to 2100 PSI. After all, a large monster truck weighs up to 5 tons and sometimes jumps several meters. By the way, you can save a few euros with the huge tires. Specially manufactured tires do not necessarily have to be produced here, but you can also use agricultural specimens, which are then only slightly modified. For example from tractors or large combine harvesters.

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