Earl the Mechanic Muffler Man (O'Brien Tire and Auto)

Granite City, Illinois, United States

Characters and mascots

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Current

Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

Earl the Mechanic is a 14-foot fiberglass Muffler Man-style giant outside O'Brien Tire & Auto Care on old Route 66 in Granite City, Illinois. Built by fiberglass artist Mark Cline, he was installed in June 2025.

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Earl the Mechanic Muffler Man (O'Brien Tire and Auto)

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Site-level location · 38.7313° N, 90.1235° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Earl the Mechanic is a Muffler Man giant installed in late June 2025 outside a tire shop that says it has been running since 1906. He stands on the north end of Granite City, Illinois, at O'Brien Tire & Auto Care, 3924 Nameoki Road, which was Old Route 66.

Great Rivers & Routes, the regional tourism bureau, describes Earl as a custom build by fiberglass artist Mark Cline, 14 feet tall, with an adjustable wrench in his left hand, a rag in the other and a can-do smile. First Alert 4 gave the same height in June 2026. When the Illinois Office of Tourism announced Granite City's new giants in June 2025, it expected an auto mechanic named Earl about 15 feet tall, alongside a 20-foot blue-collar worker named Rusty at another Granite City site.

Earl is named for a longtime figure at the shop. The Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway quoted a co-owner in July 2025 calling the name a homage to the owners' father, and Great Rivers & Routes calls him the shop's patriarch and head mechanic. First Alert 4 reported in 2026 that the shop has been family-owned since 1970.

The shop has a longer history than its giant. First Alert 4 says it opened in 1906 as a hardware store and garage, and that James O'Brien bought it and gave it its name. The business bills itself as America's oldest tire and auto repair shop, and Great Rivers & Routes calls it the oldest and longest-running tire and auto shop on Route 66. The Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway also mentions a giant tire out front.

Earl stands at a working shop, which the byway lists in July 2025 as open Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, so view him from the road or call ahead.

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PRACTICAL

Plan your stop

WHAT TO EXPECT

A 14-foot mechanic figure outside a working tire and auto shop on Old Route 66. The Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway (July 2025) lists shop hours as Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, and describes a giant tire at the same shop for photos.

ACCESS

On the shop's business property at 3924 Nameoki Road (Old Route 66), Granite City, at the north end of the city. Visible from the road; the byway invites visitors to stop for a photo during shop hours.

COMMUNITY