Autoglym takes on monster challenge
As the UK’s leading car care brand, Autoglym loves a challenge, but its technical services team faced one of its toughest tasks when it tackled Big Pete, the world’s largest working monster truck, and the only one to feature a HGV cab body.
Faced with a mud-caked truck which had just returned to its Yorkshire base from a spectacular car-crushing event, two Autoglym specialists took four hours to wash, polish and buff Big Pete back to its glorious, gleaming best.
Adrian Potts, who has been with Autoglym’s technical services team for seven years, explains: “The biggest challenge was cleaning the outside of the front windscreen. It was very difficult to reach most of the higher areas and we seemed to spend hours hanging off the truck like kids on a climbing frame!
“The products we used on Big Pete were the same ones used by professional valeters on elite supercars, or the man in the street on his family hatchback. The only difference was that this was much further from the ground!”
Big Pete is a 7.5-tonne Peterbilt-bodied monster truck, powered by a 500 bhp 7.5-litre Chevrolet big block V8, mated to a three-speed TH400 drag-racing gearbox. It is the only monster truck in the world that boasts a genuine articulated lorry cab body, and is also unique in being fitted with Pettibone crane axles which are each certified to 40 tonnes. Running on enormous5ft-tall, 4ft-wide tyres,Big Pete has crushed 7,000 cars in its 25-year lifetime.
Michael Murty, Big Pete’s owner, said: “We attend all sorts of events and exhibitions and we have to start every show with the vehicle in tip-top sparkling condition – from the massive tyres to the tall chrome chimneys, and the vast areas of bright red bodywork in between. We frequently have a variety of different car care products offered to us, but we’ve always used Autoglym. We sometimes take a little longer than it took these experts, but we’re always pleased to be able to achieve a brilliant shine to impress the crowds before we go car crushing.”
As leaders in their field, Autoglym’s technical services team are renowned for cleaning and polishing some of the most extreme vehicles on the planet. From the Thrust SSC and recent British Steam Car Land Speed record holders, to Concorde at Manchester Airport's Aviation Viewing Park, Autoglym delivers exceptional performance in even the most challenging circumstances.
Big pete technical specification
Body: Peterbilt 359 aluminium bonnet and cab
Engine: Big-block 7.5-litre Chevrolet V8
Transmission General Motors TH-400 three-speed automatic gearbox, military transfer case offering 2/4wd and high/low ranges
Steering Power front steering with independent electronically controlled rear steering
Axles Pettibone mobile crane with 40-tonne rating
Suspension Heavy-duty leaf springs with five shock-absorbers per corner
Tyres Michelin Mega X tyres [1000x50x25]
Weight Approx 7.5 tonnes
Height 15 feet (4.6 metres)
Width 13 feet (4 metres)
Length 18 feet (5.5 metres)
