From some of the old Overdrive magazines Ive seen, Ford was even worse for HD parts and service to the point they refused Fords advertising for years over it. Near the end of its run, Astro buyers had the option of several Detroit, Caterpillar and Cummins Diesel engines. I had wanted to grab the ice cream sundaeas a souvenir, too, but someone else beat me to it. It was supposedly a big advance in truck design for its time. A walk-in version was added in 1985. Recommended Company Sponsored Schools, Requirements, pros + cons, what to expect from company-sponsored cdl training programs. I dont think Id ever consider trying to restore one. If I remember I bought it for only $2000 and was used just as a yard truck. The early COE trucks were also very cold, as they werent well insulated. [1] In 1975, GMC introduced a Dragfoiler roof spoiler as an option. Title applied for. I got to test drive one with a 9L CNG motor and Heil Frontloading refuse body Dec of 2012 and was impressed with it. Oh man, how I love those old cabovers and the other rigs, especially the Petes. They have that in common with a great many other big trucks. The cabover style of truck took full advantage of the trucking industry length laws, in effect at the time. upgrade. So the length issue wasnt so important anymore. the Astro was now dead. Ive never run a General, but the Brigadiers dont seem to hold up nearly as well as the Fords. In contrast to other GM brands, a key requirement of GMC franchisees of the time was the ability to sell and service the entire GMC product line. But as you can imagine, by this time there wasnt much left of them. Starting in 1980, the company offered the GMC TopKick. time. Oddly enough they still use what cabovers are left for boat transport. With that in mind, we have gathered high-quality GMC parts and accessories that work the first time, every time. I thought the truck fit me perfectly and I became a part of it whenever we were on the road. We take a look at the exterior and interior of the vehicle, so you can receive a general idea and appreciation of a certain brand or model.Our coverage is from Truck, Auto and Commercial Vehicle Shows in USA, Europe and Canada.Thanks for watching!! A cabover interior is a very useful tool in that it can make sure that the contents of the car is hidden to anyone who might be looking. "Crackerbox" by operators and fans. Postal Code: 7 LOT #: 10062 Save 1986 GMC ASTRO Sleeper Trucks Buyer's premium included in price USD $120.00 GMC COE single axle. and they will be posted! There are folks who thought the Astro was a rip off of a Mack design from the early 60s. The model was dubbed the GMC B-Series and stayed in production for three generations. The sleeper provided ample room and comfort, and air conditioning Single rear axle. so has very low miles. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. And so it was that I got my one and only surviving picture of the trucks at hand. the rest of the GMC heavy duty line in 1987. Heres the (much older and smaller) Bedford TK: wide panoramic glass provided excellent vision to the front and the The truck and trailer were plainly visible from the road. It featured an all-aluminum cab with a 108-inch or 116-inch hood. Needless to say, everyone there knew their products VERY well. Interestingly enough, the people in the front office werent just strategizers and makers of budgets and blueprints. Dents and rust throughout, interior dirty and worn. There were approximately seven built, all told; they were prototypes for a new line that never got off the ground. All in all the Astro proved the old adage that you get what you pay for. Her fleet of 95s did cross country turnarounds with two drivers, Indiana to California and back in 5 days over the Rockies, the drivers loved them. EnterpriseVander Haags Inc Sp Spencer IA. Special Series. Mine was a great truck, simple and reliable. Enjoy our hassle-free online checkout or call to speak to an expert. Drivers had to be careful of foot placement, or else theyd end up falling on the ground! In the seven years I worked for them, however, none of the trucks ever moved. The new model featured better visibility and improved driver ergonomics. The Only Old School Cabover Truck Guide You'll Ever Need - Smart Trucking They are also becoming wildly popular at truck shows. But given their neglected state, it also seems likely that their service lives have come to a close. #3 was under the cowl and the piston/liner assembly would only just clear. Since 1966, General Motors has been manufacturing a line of buses based on a traditional cowled chassis. Aahhhh yes, I spent many a day in these. GMC ASTRO INTERIOR FOR AMERICAN TRUCK SIMULATOR - YouTube 0:00 / 0:57 GMC ASTRO INTERIOR FOR AMERICAN TRUCK SIMULATOR Caterpillar D8N 701 subscribers Subscribe 1.2K views 11 months. All rights reserved. The GMC Astro ceased production after the 1987 model year (coincidentally, two years after Chevrolet launched a van with the same name). Clean, classy, and very GM. I love my truck and it will be around for a long time to come. I understood that much of the interior and the dashboard were designed by a woman named Martha Jayne Van Alstyne, who also worked on the interior of the 68 Corvette. The GMC Astro 95 was introduced The Road Commander cab has certainly outlived the Astro, granted only tangentially as the White/WhiteGMC/Volvo/Autocar/etc Xpeditor, further modified as the modern day Autocar ACX. Its a working truck, too! Owned by Ryan Wichtner, FL. model in the middle of 1949. Others say for every minute spent organizing and reducing clutter, an hour is earned All manufacturer names, symbols, and descriptions, used in our images and text are used solely for identification purposes only. Somewhere on the back roads near Pine City, MN, as I recall cant give more detail than that without actually retracing my steps. Luckily the shop we are in was originally a heavy equipment shop. Instruction, clear advice, videos and photos for truck driver skills, maneuvers and information for all professional truck drivers. This interior is one of the highlights of my apartment. Our mechanic seems to look at the Brigadiers the way you do. The interior is ruff, Dan is rebuilding the engine so as to keep it orignal. I would sleep across the doghouse in my cabover. There still seems to be a factory GM radio still installed in that rig, I always thought these had an interesting dash, semi wraparound, isolating the driver in the business section of the cockpit. One problem with the big windshield was visibility into the truck. Comfort is a big issue especially for long haul trucking. Did find the high-res original of that pic, but alas, no GPS information or other pictures for context. Its the only one of the three weve seen that has a black, red, and blue interior. The cabover has a smaller seat in the middle, two doors on either side, a small handle in the middle, and a small door on each side. Despite everyones best efforts, the business finally went under in 2013. Heck, it reminds me of the good old days when there were way less laws and regs. Condition. Truckstop Classic: 1959-1961 GMC DLR/DFR 8000 - Curbside Classic I drove one in 71 for two years, with a V12 Detroit engine. For example, if you were going to hide your wallet in the back seat of your car and dont want anyone to see it, you can create an interior that has a large panel that covers it up. convenince and comfort, and safety for operators. The Isuzu Bedford might be the name down under, the blue one is very clearly a (Euro) Bedford TM. This is not one of them. Cab is up in the air, a crack noise followed by some crunching sounds. White trailers with a big Food Lion graphic. I was astounded when he paid $3500 for the title-less derelict Astro; upon looking it over again (just to see if Id missed something), I couldnt understand how he was making money on it at that price. !. These continued to remain as GMC's main class Theirs was an Astro 95, of course; a 1978, if I recall. Today, you can still find a fair amount - YouTube 0:00 / 0:53 1986 GMC Astro cabover day cab. the past 3 years. Super-detailed engine, chassis and interior; CB radio and dual antennas; Astro . These rigs were once quite commonly seen rolling down the highways. Truck has dual power windows tilt wheel, extra gages. The Kenworth cabover, better known as the bull nose, was built with comfort and driver safety in mind. TGH928V900010. Provo, UT - Box Truck - Straight Truck,Cabover Truck - COE Trucks For Given the paint scheme, it seems fairly likely this tractor and trailer spent at least part of their lives together. Its grainy and basically useless, but unless I find the others, that may well be all that remains of these rigs. ), But they couldnt just let the boats pile upthey had to get them out to the dealers somehow. Ive got several more for later on in the week, but hey why not start with the biggest? The other cabovers weve seen have white cabooses. By the mid eighties, they were doing pretty well for themselves: theyd moved into a big new facility, had expanded their lineup to include such things as portable ice houses and their trademark line of peddle-boats, and of course they were still cranking out pontoons left and right. Its interesting to hear about what happens to these manufacturing companies when they close. Thats actually not an Astro. The cabover interiors are usually made with a black finish that makes them look like they have some kind of black paint on them. This model was designed to have a higher cab, bigger rad, and a larger engine, than its predecessor. 1972 GMC Astro Cabover Truck - Walkaround Exterior Interior Tour - YouTube Production ran from 1969 until late 1987, when GM merged their heavy truck operation with Volvo/White the Astro 95 was replaced by the Volvo version of the White Road Commander II, probably a step backward. The Astro was available as a 58 in BBC Day Cab, and a 86 in BBC Its powered by an NTC 400 Cummins, 15 speed, 433 ratio with dual air breathers. The Astro offered many improvements over the "Crackerbox" trucks. The GMC Astro and Chevrolet Titan are Class 8 cabover-engine (COE) trucks, sold in both single and tandem rear axle configurations. The old semi-cabover A series was replaced by the all-new H In 1930, another GMC truck made a similar journey from New York to San Francisco in just 5 days. The TM had 4 head lights and double bumpers to differentiate it and they had larger more powerfull engines than the TK range but the cab was shared. Vehicle runs, drives, stops. [2] For the 1969 model year, the GMC Crackerbox was replaced by the GMC Astro, while the Chevrolet Titan was unveiled for the 1970 model year.[3][4]. 1978 GMC Astro Cabover Tour - YouTube But, unfortunately, its also the one big truck for which Im most starved for pictures. For more information on the last new The truck has a 3406 A model cat 13 spd GM air ride. [1] In 1983, the Aero Astro option package was released, largely as an effort to improve fuel economy. The cabover truck is an icon. Changing a clutch was always fun since the rear engine mounts were attached to the transmission instead of the engine. GMC Astro 95 Semi Tractor Cabover Truck 1:25 Scale AMT - Arrow Models Tahoe where I used to work had a tough time getting to stuff on our Pete 320 LCFs. The Great Lakes Truck Club hosts the Clifford Truck Show, featuring a hot line-up of cabovers, Macks and older model rigs. Its Hall-Scott gas engine was still running well, but the truck just was too slow to be competitive in the late 1960s, and it was actually driven to its resting place in the woods at the local wrecking yard, where it sat for years before being scrapped. awkward shapes, it did not receive good aerodynamic ratings, and cut fuel (The folks in their marketing department had a thing for using staff, friends, and family in their promotional photos. Lots of stuff that rattled, fell off or quit working way too early. Gmc Astro Cabover Trucks For Sale Become a Partner 1995 Oshkosh Refrigerated Van Price : CALL Has Airconditioning, Steel Wheels, 225/70R/19.5 Tires Carrier Ultima Reefer This is a Cream Of Weber milk Van Rear length 14' Width 6'6" Door Width 3' Swing door 190 HP Diesel Engine 3-speed Automatic 6-cyclinder Turbo Salt Lake Salt Lake City Its interior became much more spacious due to an optional sleeper cab. images may be used without permission except for personal viewing. That picture is pretty much a more modern version of what they were running. The wrap around dash and placement of the controls and instruments was perfect. the standards the H series set, yet be more streamlined and beyond. An uncomplicated and clean design, thats what makes a design timeless. Maneuvering a big trailer was a real workout. You can connect with him Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. International Cabover A 1974 model, powered by Cummins 400, 13 speed transmission, owned by Mark Johnson. Learn the dangers of a truck driver encounters when driving an Australian road train in the barren Outback and how trucking in Australia is so different from North America. Visit our site at any time to acquire GMC semi truck accessories and parts needed for your restoration or upgrade project. This included special paint, a larger chromed front The last GMC B-Series left the assembly line in 2003. metatron-nw.com 2023. eBay Find: This 1977 GMC Astro 95 Is A Barn Find Big - BangShift.com You've disabled JavaScript in your web browser. 15,875 views May 7, 2017 158 Dislike Share Hunzolee 1.37K subscribers 1986 GMC Astro cabover day cab at. Required fields are marked *. The sleeper seemed tight and on the same claustrophobic scale as the drivers side of the cab. The overall length of truck and trailer, back then, could only be a maximum of 65, from 1956 to 1976. And so came the companys latest investment, circa 1987: a fleet of new-to-them tractors with brand-new trailers. The GMC Astro is a heavy-duty class 8 cabover truck that was unveiled in 1969 as the replacement for the GMC cabover semi truck produced during 1960-1968 that received the nickname Crackerbox for its boxy-shaped cabin. Along with the Dragfoiler roof spoiler, the option package included body extension panels between the cab and trailer, an air dam below an extended bumper and an optimized radiator grille. He told me he took out over $2500 in bronze copper and aluminum shavings. It was the oldest design GMC had at the time, and still made it able to slip through wind better than other COEs at the The sleeper was scaled like the cab and was roomy and comfortable. There was a point when the cab would go over center, meaning gravity took over and the hyd system that was lifting the cab was now used to control cab movement by restricting the oil flow. In 1987, GM ended the production of the GMC General. Here are some comments sent in from truckers. Even though today GMC mostly offers pickup trucks, SUVs, and medium-duty commercial vehicles with such well-recognized nameplates as Sierra, Acadia, Canyon, Yukon, and Savanna, there were times when the company was focusing on producing urban and transit buses, fire trucks, ambulances, and heavy-duty semi trucks. Safety. Interior. It was hell. Its design was cleaner and slicker than the Transtar. We could only make about 59 mph but I was cool and comfortable as I cruised the highway. Placement of the truck cab over the motor saved some length. "[1][2] Available in a 48-inch BBC (bumper to back of cab) length, the truck was produced with an all-aluminum fully tilting cab. To make matters worse this truck was built without power steering! You're a power user moving through this website with super-human speed. In 1986, General Motors created the VolvoGM joint venture with Volvo Trucks, leading to the discontinuation of the Astro in 1987. (first posted 2/3/2014) As one of the people whod been rallying for a Big Truck Week, I suppose its only fitting that I step up and post some. Who knows? Given the design and material information I hung onto from earlier, I expect to be able to finish their construction fairly easily. That was all there was to drive at one time. Thanks for the pics of the Astro interior, forgot how nice the dash was. And so it went. They were mostly Astros, these older small-grille versions, in dark blue. The next year I was put in a brand new leased 1979 GMC General. The Astro was also GMs swan song in the big-truck sector, and it never sold in the numbers needed to keep GM truly viable. When the shop was sold and moved out of town his land lord offered him 300 bucks to clean out the space. Anyway, I drove one when I was 12 years old around the lot, and I will never forget that dashboard of that windshield, or how sharp of a turn it could make. Nothing on earth sounds as good to me as a screamin Jimmy Diesel. In 1976, another 9 of length was allowed, for a maximum 75 allowance. The Sleeper Bunk. It was a family business dad, son, and grandson could all be found down the same hallway. The others weve seen feature yellow and blue interiors. After its discontinuation, GM exited the heavy-duty truck market. Many memories are attached to the old cabover trucks models.Many truckers and retired truck drivers alike, lament about the classic cabover truck models, that once ruled the highways of North America. me with questions and comments! I always wondered if the design of the original small grille on the Astro 95 was supposed to suggest an air intake rather than a radiator grille. You mean this one Bryce ? The large carriers who were the big buyers of cabovers, switched over to the conventional style rig, and the bottom rapidly fell out of the market for them in North America, thus the fall in popularity of these trucks. Hes the one that hired me. custom built, and that GMC had been experiencing slightly slumping sales during Could be theres more badges these wore. This meant that there were less gauges on the wraparound part than Bid History for 1975 GMC Astro 95 Cabover Truck - AS-IS Auction Start Date: 06/03/21 5:11 PM ET Auction End Date: 06/17/21 9:03 PM ET Asset ID: 1453 . Astro model, go see the. Out here, the farmers still run Brigadiers, Generals, and Ford Louisvilles. -If you have any, please send them to me, I noticed and like the 92 Dark Cherry Metallic Chevy Caprice in the background of the third picture from the bottom. Guess which one I was most interested in? The Astro 95 had superior driver visibility. 1968 GMC ASTRO For Sale in Madison, Minnesota at TractorHouse.com. trucks or the Turbo Titan III program, please Among their factory leftovers was a small group of V-bottom boats. One legacy of the Astro is the windshields. Thanks for visiting my page! The H model was a redesign of the semi-cabover design, with a more rounded look as the GMCs at the Cabover interior is the way that the caboose opens. I actually had to call Ercoa once working a claim on a boat. You had to jack the front of the cab up to get the valve cover off. 1 of 11 ever made by General Motors. After a couple years of testing the idea was dropped due to the turbines poor fuel consumption. They were indeed good-looking trucks. The red caboose is made of metal too. [1], In a major change from precedent, when introduced in 1969, the Astro/Titan were marketed exclusively with diesel engines. The cabover is one of the most unique interiors weve found. uplevel sound and CB systems. If anyone knows about these powerplants in Right down to the furnishings, the place honestly looked like a time capsule from 1991 (just when I thought Id seen the last of NetWare 4, Compaq products with a rainbow stripe on them, and the unmistakable beeps and chirps of Merlin phones). A lot of the later Astro 95s were Cummins powered. If every driver of EVERY vehicle on the road followed these safety tips, our roads would be SO much safer. The first major update to the Astro was the Special Series trim Also in common with GM products of the day Astros didnt age well, particularly inside the cab. Used Chevrolet Astro for Sale in Provo, UT - CarGurus In North America its the other way around. 800,000 miles, and a rebuild. From what I have seen, The GMC Astro is a heavy-duty class 8 cabover truck that was unveiled in 1969 as the replacement for the GMC cabover semi truck produced during 1960-1968 that received the nickname "Crackerbox" for its boxy-shaped cabin. One of my old neighbors was one of the mechanics that worked there until retiring shortly before the warehouse closed.. (I think the warehouse closed during the early 1990s) If I remember right, he told me most of the ones at Fort Wayne were Detroit powered, although there was some Cummins powered as well, with 7 speeds. Highly inconvenient. [1] In 1977, the Cummins KT450 and Caterpillar 3406 became options; the larger engines required the addition of a larger radiator. The black caboose is one that is used for a single person and the red caboose is used for a couple of people. This went on after the HD line was sold off. Drive Side. Old Dutch plant located in Minneapolis. Since the length laws have changed so much to allow longer units on the roads, there are no longer the same advantages to this style of truck. Some truckers wore full length snowmobile suits in them, just to stay warm! The Ercoa staff were good friendly folks. Succeeding the F/D-series "Crackerbox" cabovers, the Astro was marketed by Chevrolet as the Titan, serving as the largest cabover trucks ever produced by General Motors. Year. It is neither inferred nor implied that any item sold by TRUCKiD.com is a product authorized by or in any way connected with any vehicle manufacturers displayed on this page. Now for those of you who have seen dbl bunk Astro's yes there were some after market dbl bunk conversions. Clifford, ON, comes alive on the Canada Day long weekend. Not a bad days work. The GMC Astro and Chevrolet Titan are Class 8 cabover-engine (COE) trucks, sold in both single and tandem rear axle configurations. GMC ASTRO Farm Equipment Auction Results - 22 Listings - TractorHouse.com None were roadworthy, only one was able to be started, and perhaps worst of all, no titles could be produced for any of them. Its been stretched, and also has a tag axle. I love the old KW100E. However, Ive noticed a resurgence of interest in cabover trucks recently. Depending on when it was made its Road Expeditor II, an Autocar or a Western Star. Van Alstyne was one of the female designers mentioned in the book, Damsels in Design, by Constance Smith which came out a couple of years ago and which was mentioned on this site and on others. GMC. GMC Astro cabs were built almost entirely out of aluminum, with SMC fiberglass-reinforced plastic doors, and were offered in three lengths: the short 55-inch non-sleeper cab, a 75-inch sleeper cab and an 87-inch sleeper cab. $4,000.00 1979 GMC Astro cabover semi tractor Detroit 892v 13 speed 54,276 actual mileage 2,324 hours Starts and runs great. As I left the yard that day, I watched as the dilapidated Astrowas being hacked apart by a small herd of torch jockeys. COEs in general seem to be on the way out, though there is a big black Kenworth COE that hauls container trailers to and from the local port on the James River. They are also usually found on the back of a car, but they can be found in other areas as well. I would bet my paycheck that the truck and trailer were originally owner by Old Dutch Potato Chip Company. GMC Astro 95 Cabover T/A Road Tractor, ; Vin# TGH928V900010, Special Plate- AC122503, Manual Trans.- NO TITLE . Engineering:GMC Astro - HandWiki No; the Astro was unique to GMC and Chevrolet (Titan). Cabover trucks werent particularly comfortable, back in the early years. I dont recall the politics of GMs medium and heavy duty truck sales but if you sold MD and HD you could order either Chevy or GMC or a mix of both. On our channel we upload daily, our original, walkaround videos of Trucks, Busses and Commercial Vehicles. Beat me to itthe White was clearly an Astro rip-off, although there isnt exactly a lot of leeway with big COE trucks in making them look distinctive, at least in the idiom of that time.
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