Our Story

 
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Thomas “Big Dogg” Betar Jr.

Double Senior Master Ford Specialist

Two Time Monster Garage Winner

From a very early age Big Dogg was tinkering around with anything mechanical. Big Dogg’s dad had gas stations all through childhood. He was always there and fascinated with mechanics. In high school Tom worked on the shop class teacher’s vehicles. Tom was granted a scholarship, good for two years at a local vocational school. One for body shop, another for mechanics. Tom graduated with honors, he was off and running. It didn’t take long to decide the body shop wasn’t paying good enough. Mechanics it is.

Tom knew he wanted to be at a dealer, not an outside shop. He craved the knowledge and structure found within the four walls of a corporate dealer. Tom spent a week driving up and down the main drag putting applications in at every vehicle manufacture. He decided whomever called first would be the manufacture he would work for. The local Ford dealer decided to give Tom, a green youngster out of voco a shot. He drug his tool set from his fathers gas station into the Ford dealer. Like most of us, the first job was bottom of the barrel, everyone laughed at him for taking it. He knew with hard work he wouldn’t be in that position long.

He quickly won respect with the veterans and enrolled in school to further his mechanical education. His goal was to be master certified. After several years of hard work and several dealers later Tom wound up in a big dealer. His boss quickly noticed his work ethic and made him a team leader. All his hard work paid off. He was running the truck team.

Tom worked at the dealer for 15 years, he ran the truck department with 6-8 guys plus himself.

In 2003 Tom was called to do Monster Garage with Jesse James!

Tom Flew to Long Beach CA to film. It was epic. The team won. After Tom came home he turned his side hustle into a legit business.

Toms family needed to relocate. He closed his business and decided to get back into the dealer to bring his certificates back up to date and get ready for the transition for relocation.

After relocation and getting a job at the dealer he built a huge shop on his property and started the side business again.

Tom was now a double senior master Ford specialist only specializing on Ford diesels and everything Ford.

Bumper to Bumper. Certified in repairing diagnosing all systems in the vehicle from cars to F750’s.

Tom had a chance to acquire all special Ford tools and All computer programs to properly diagnose and repair Ford trucks.

After relocating to Dripping Springs, Texas in 2020 Jesse James called and said he was needed on a diesel build.

After hours of tests and background checks, it was time to hit it hard for a second time. It was epic to be back in the Monster Garage. It was hot and super tough, in Toms opinion the most amount of work the garage has ever seen but we did it…. Shukkin Dragster. The episode is on the Discovery plus app. It was a crazy experience.



Monster Garage

HOT DOGGSTER, Season 1 Episode 19. Aired June 2 2003 - Won Challenge

How do you make a NYC hotdog cart cool? Transform it into a 1,000 horsepower dragster.

 

SHUCKIN’ DRAGSTER, Aired January 2, 2021 - Won Challenge

“One of the hardest builds we've ever done, if not the hardest.”

- JESSE JAMES