Big Bully 1 was discovered by Michael Bonilla on eBay, and in its original form was a stock Ford truck. The owner of the truck was a “Power Seller” living in Texas. Bonilla searched eBay for a big crew cab for his large family.

After purchasing the truck, the Bonillas thoroughly enjoyed the use of their V-10, rolling up into the mountains for camping on weekends. To maneuver through the mountains eventually required getting bigger tires and a spring system to work with the tires that elevated the truck’s height.

“We started off buying an 8-inch spring system then moved up to a 10-inch system and the truck gradually got higher and higher and higher,” said Bonilla. Over time, he was forced to find bigger and better spring components online.

Bonilla didn’t always own gigantic trucks, nor did he go to school to acquire elevated truck knowledge. He acquired his education first hand by helping many of his friends to build and lift their trucks. After enough time passed, Bonilla felt confident enough to try building a high-rise of his own using the family’s Ford Supercab.

The first step in the Big Bully 1 conversion plan was to persuade his wife that this was a good idea. “Noelani, let’s sit down so I can tell you my latest business plan,” he said. Once his idea to convert the family Ford into a “Pure 808 Customs” monster truck advertisement was approved by the executive board, Bonilla went to see his good friends to muster their support.

When Bonilla first approached his buddies Lincoln Kakutani and Byron Ono with the idea of jacking up his truck to new heights, they both shook their heads laughing and said, “Bonilla, you’re Crazy!” Of course they immediately jumped on board.

Because there was no ready-made kit to buy, or digital plan on the Internet for Bonilla to download, he and his friends simply jacked up the truck and from beneath the frame they slowly spec’ed out a plan to raise this behemoth to create a flexible torsion control system. Local boys do it best from under a truck.

The problem created in raising Big Bully 1 involved the flexing and twisting of the frame as the big truck rolled down on the road. This solution was gradually solved by building and installing various expandable rods,  suspension shocks, body lifts and hangers, all connected to a middle sub-frame keeping the main frame in a secure and solid state.

This ingenious and unique system was completely designed and created by Bonilla and company. It involved professional welding and creating parts from scratch to custom fit the raised truck rig.

Because of its over-the-legal-limit bumper height, Big Bully 1 is not a road legal vehicle and is therefore only allowed to operate in parades or auto shows. To enter an auto show or a parade requires the transport of Big Bully 1 to the site via local trucking companies like Kaua‘i Commercial, Kaua‘i Freight Service or Fredstan Kaluahine Brothers. Without their full cooperation and timely coordination, Big Bully 1 remains in the garage like a silent sentinel watching over the neighborhood.

“The kids just love this truck,” said Bonilla, as he reminisced about the many parades Big Bully 1 has entered.

One other benefit of driving a big V-10 in a parade is that the gas mileage doesn’t hurt as much on those short runs as compared to mountain climbing with the whole family strapped in.

To view a short video of Michael Bonilla’s Big Bully click on the “TGI video” link at kauaiworld.com

• Leo DuBois, contributor, can be reached via news editor Nathan Eagle at 245-3681 (ext. 227) or via e-mail at neagle@kauaipubco.com.