Imagine a vintage van that looks like a Hot Wheels toy come to life, capable of lifting its entire body 16 feet in the air while still driving down the track. That is exactly what Goddard Wagner and Team Mullet Machine created with their 1969 LS-powered Chevy van, appropriately named “Monster Mullet.” It is a bright, colorful defiance of the typical dark, aggressive monster truck aesthetic, designed purely for fun and turning heads at events like LS Fest.
A Giant Toy With A Cool Trick
Wagner didn’t want to follow the crowd when designing the exterior. The result is a vibrant cyan, pink, and yellow livery that screams 1980s nostalgia. But the real party trick is the body itself. Using a hydraulic system, the van shell separates from the chassis. Wagner noted, “And the body’s mounted in the back here. So it actually pivots, you know, obviously like a dump trailer.”
World-Class LS Power
Underneath the wild exterior and massive lift, the drivetrain had to be reliable. Wagner opted to pull the engine from their other van, the Smokin’ Mullet, rather than go with a traditional big-block. He admitted, “But originally it was going to be 454. I’m glad we went with the fuel injection LS.” This LS-powered Chevy setup runs on a Holley Terminator X Max system, giving them push-button reliability compared to a carbureted setup.
Old-School Chassis And DIY Engineering
Despite the modern engine, the suspension is pure retro. Wagner described the design, saying, “I wanted old-school, so it still is leaf spring. I didn’t want coilovers and all this fancy stuff.” The van sits on 2.5-ton Eaton axles and massive tractor tires. Wagner even designed his own split rims to make maintenance easier. He detailed the practical design: “I can split this in half just by breaking this bead and undoing these smaller bolts, replace the tube, the inner side can stay on, the tire can stay right there.”
Driving 16 Feet In The Air
The most insane part of the build isn’t just that it lifts; it drives while lifted. To make this happen, Wagner had to extend every line and wire to extreme lengths. He explained, “The power steering hoses are 32 feet long.” This engineering allows for a truly wild experience behind the wheel. Team Mullet Machine’s Monster Mullet is a perfect example of what happens when fabrication skills meet an unlimited imagination.
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