My Mom ran a truck leasing operation in the 70s-90s (NationalLease/LendLease) and back in the 70s when the 95 came out it was a VERY big deal. It was easy for the younger drivers, but not quite so easy for the older truckers! Its interesting to hear about what happens to these manufacturing companies when they close. The overall length of truck and trailer, back then, could only be a maximum of 65, from 1956 to 1976. This went on after the HD line was sold off. The new model featured better visibility and improved driver ergonomics. Thats probably half the reason I was brought in: I worked cheap, I was willing to horse around with their archaic equipment, and I could manage to keep a sense of humor about it. The nose of the semi is flat and the truck cab sits on top of the diesel engine and steering axle. The different cabooses are designed to look different colors and to be able to transition from one color to another. Air brakes. The Titan had a 290 Cummins and 10 speed Roadranger and the A/C worked! To draw attention to the brand, GMC launched the promotional campaign using several country cross-overs. All orignal. But, with surprising candor, he began to lament his purchase of the truck having now done the math, he was expecting to take a big hit on it, and several other things hed won at that auction. It seems like there must be hundreds of RV, boat, etc manufacturers that have shuttered or consolidated in the past 2 decades. During WWII, GM supplied the US Army with more than 600,000 GMC trucks. (USED) GMC ASTRO DOOR SIDE VENT, DOES NOT INCLUDE INTERIOR TRIM, NEEDS SEAL, CAB OVER $242 USD Located in Spencer, IA, US Email Seller (855) 370-___ Seller Information Vander Haag's Inc. 3809 4th Ave W Spencer, IA 51301-2082 United States Get Directions View all Inventory (154948) Get Shipping Quotes Save Price Alert Send to a Friend Print Listing In 1986, Volvo AB entered into a joint venture with General Motors in heavy-truck production, with Volvo taking an 85% stake. When I was bob tailing, and would hit a bump, Id have a new dent in the headliner. Condition. A wide range of engines, which could be easily modified for alternative fuels such as propane or compressed natural gas, made the model popular in the school bus and police bus industry. He ran one as an O/O for a few years in the mid 1970s and then again as a company driver for Thrifty-Payless Drug stores in the early-mid 80s. Mine was a great truck, simple and reliable. I got a blue Chevy Titan 90 replacement while big red was in the shop. [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]. He told me that when he purchased one in the mid 70s he test drove a Pete 352 (COE) and got the impression that it had inferior build quality to the Astro. Cabovers had great visibility and they had the look of highway trucks, due to their sheer height. However, there was a downside that accompanied this accessibility. I am actually the current owner of the truck on this article. The Internationals were good solid trucks. 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). Thats code word for farmers. of these honorable trucks on the road today. MN. Their sales as a result, started to dwindle, as a conventional style rig was almost the same price as these flat nose trucks, and they were considerably more comfortable. And you see a lot of Brigadiers out here too. I can remember seeing many of the Astro tractors around until Kroger closed the Fort Wayne Indiana Distribution warehouse. They were mostly Astros, these older small-grille versions, in dark blue. White trailers with a big "Food Lion" graphic. I read somewhere that Larry Shinoda had a hand in designing the Astro 95. Downtime means lost income. Model. None were roadworthy, only one was able to be started, and perhaps worst of all, no titles could be produced for any of them. Related > Classic TrucksFrom the Golden Years of Trucking. Not running. After its discontinuation, GM exited the heavy-duty truck market. The model was dubbed the GMC B-Series and stayed in production for three generations. It used a single hyd cylinder on the right hand side of the frame. In 1916, GMC made headlines when a husband and wife drove the GMC pickup truck from Seattle to New York in 30 days. [1] Although Detroit Diesel had developed a gas-turbine version of the GMC Astro in the early 1970s, fuel-economy concerns would keep it out of production. For some reason most of the few I saw were rag-tag owner-ops out of Quebec. Its the only one of the three weve seen that has a black, red, and blue interior. (Bedford being a GM division.). Nothing on earth sounds as good to me as a screamin Jimmy Diesel. Much different then cars boats are still a little bit in the wild west of manufacturing. so has very low miles. 1900 GMC ASTRO 95 Day Cab Trucks Sold Price: USD $990.00 Auction Ended: April 10, 2021 Financial Calculator Machine Location: Boonsboro, Maryland 21713 Stock Number: 615 VIN: TGH928V900010 Drive Side: Left Hand Drive Compare J.G. In 1987, GM ended the production of the GMC General. Alongside a 702 cubic-inch GMC V12 gasoline engine, the truck was available with the Detroit Diesel 6V71 and 8V71 engines. Ive spent my whole life in the marine industry and its amazing that I still find new boat companies all the time. Changing a clutch was always fun since the rear engine mounts were attached to the transmission instead of the engine. Although Volvo GM would continue sales of COE trucks under the White GMC and Western Star brands (the WhiteGMC WH and Western Star Cabover; both versions of the White Road Commander II), the GMC Astro was never directly replaced by Volvo GM, Volvo, or General Motors. The trucker literally must stand up on the seat of the truck and crawl over theengine, which is positioned between the seats! When he used to be their mechanic, he claimed that they were always in the shop for something. My Grandpa and my Dad owned several of them. Id suspect a lot of their business came from a few good dealers, and especially from operators of a small fleet of big rigs but a varied fleet of everything who would appreciate a one-stop shop where they could get heavy haulers to get the product out, pickups and vans for *their* service techs and sedans for the sales reps through one dealership and one contract. I was only supposed to keep the Titan until the Astro was fixed but I couldnt go back to that noisy sweat box now. The H model was a redesign of the semi-cabover design, with a more rounded look as the GMCs at the
Those old White Freightliners would just rattle all the time. It was supposedly a big advance in truck design for its time. email me. and they will be posted! !, and please SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, COMMENT, hit the NOTIFICATION BELL, and have a look at our other channels:https://www.youtube.com/automototube - AutoMotoTube - Car and Motorcycle walkaround videoshttps://www.youtube.com/c/motorcycletube - MotorCycleTube - Motorcycle walkaround videoshttps://www.youtube.com/c/BoatTube - BoatTube - Motor and Sailing yachts walkaround videoshttps://www.youtube.com/c/Bicycletube - BicycleTube - Bicycle walkaround videoshttps://www.youtube.com/c/atvtube - ATVTube - All Terrain Vehicle walkaround videos Broken lights and lenses throughout. Tires are good. Ive seen a number of really nice ones, rebuilt and re-finished and restored back to new condition. Maneuverability. Safety. If I recall correctly, there were a few of these made with GMC badges on them when White and GMC merged their heavy truck operations in the late 80s. All Rights Reserved. I drove many 10s of thousands of miles in the late 70s. Still, it was a new truck and I was pretty happy with it. In 1909, GM purchased the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company founded by Max Grabowsky in 1901 that designed some of the first ever commercial vehicles. i have being looking for a astro or titan would you be interested in selling one. IHC dealers usually at least understood that an out-of-service truck meant someone wasnt making their wages. The big windshields and door glass gave a full view of the road. At the time I was trying to obscure the trucks location to prevent unwelcome tourists (as I commonly did with any roadside pics). Can anyone tell me where this picture was taken. The Astro 95 is my first big truck of the week, and also the biggest truck in my files. (c) 2000, Evan McCausland. Ive had the pleasure to drive an LTL-9000, and the misfortune to drive a Brigadier. These two galsno idea who they aremade frequent appearances in company literature. But now a sighting of a working cabover truck on the road is more rare. Vehicle runs, drives, stops. 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. No wonder they were called Freightshakers! But no more please, too uncomfortable. 1985 Cabover Kenworth, K100 This Aerodyne model of COE, was one of the best looking of the cabovers. I noticed and like the 92 Dark Cherry Metallic Chevy Caprice in the background of the third picture from the bottom. Or perhaps some do-gooder finally threw it away. The only GM heavy truck that was built after the merger was the Brigadier, and it lasted until the Pontiac heavy truck plant closed in late 1989. This 1974 model was one of the last trucks to travel down the assembly line before the company went bankrupt in late 1974. Maneuvering a big trailer was a real workout. 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. I sold off the shop manuals years ago on the internet. You are visitor number to this page! Another controversial feature of it was
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. I am partial to the old 2 stroke Detroits. It did the job but no one ever confused it with a Peterbilt or a Kenworth. Depending on when it was made its Road Expeditor II, an Autocar or a Western Star. I drove one in 71 for two years, with a V12 Detroit engine. Maintenance and Repair A cabover is repaired by tilting the entire cab forward. the rest of the GMC heavy duty line in 1987. 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. Thats a nice one! The interior was designed for optimal
1976 GMC Astro day cab over semi, Big Cam 350 Cummins eng., 13 spd., 11R24.5, spring ride, sliding hitch, 711,344 miles, VIN TDC926V578511 - new batteries Carlisle, Iowa. It could go maybe 65 mph tops. I wish I had shop space for those kind of projects, my wife gets annoyed when I leave a boat on our property for more than a few weeks. 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. Here are some comments sent in from truckers. The cabover interior is unique because it is the only one that has a caboose. The red caboose is made of metal too. This interior is one of the highlights of my apartment. Still, he remained hopeful that the tons (literally) of aluminum pontoon parts hed also bought would make up for it. Learn how your comment data is processed. Shopping with us, you get parts and accessories that work hard just like you, built tough just like your vehicle. I vaguely recall it being at/near a T intersection. The model was discontinued in 1987. But the pontoon-hauler wasnt quite as fancy as this one. Every once in awhile Ill see one sitting on a back lot. time. Enjoy our hassle-free online checkout or call to speak to an expert. me with questions and comments! As much as I enjoyed finally getting to climb around on the trucks, I was actually there for another reason. As you say, its tough to be distinctive. The one weak area for the Astro was the cab tilt mechanics. . Aahhhh yes, I spent many a day in these. By the way nice buy on the boats. A box is a box! Right on about the crappy service with GMC dealers. A few words about their personal connection and memories of cabovers. trucks or the Turbo Titan III program, please
The cabover is made of metal and the interior is black. In the period from 1978 to 1988, General Motors offered the GMC Brigadier, a heavy-duty class 7-8 short-hood truck available in straight-truck and semi-tractor configurations. 1972 GMC Astro Cabover Truck - Walkaround Exterior Interior Tour - 2021 Clifford Truck Show 4,021 views Sep 9, 2021 109 Dislike Share Save TruckTube 186K subscribers Welcome to TruckTube!! One could update the grille and headlights and the Astro 2.0 wouldnt look out of place today in a lineup of new trucks on the dealer lot. There are folks who thought the Astro was a rip off of a Mack design from the early 60s. Another future COAL . The truck has a 3406 A model cat 13 spd GM air ride. Truck has dual power windows tilt wheel, extra gages. It was a nice truck but harder to get into tight spots and I was partial to the cabovers. An Australian truck driver talks about the REAL BAD BOY big rig trucks that run through the Outback of Australia. 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. Cabover trucks werent particularly comfortable, back in the early years. But, theyre almost all sitting in the weeds, done forever. When I worked at Peterbilt in the late 70s to early 80s, we definitely paid attention to some of the features of the Astro as well as Ford CL9000, especially the cab air suspension of the latter. And their parts guys knew the product a lot better. The wrap around dash was a natural because it sits on top of the engine. 1986 GMC Astro cabover day cab. Ford made a big cabover on air bag suspension that leaned in the corners and felt like it was going to tip over sideways when the driver climbed in or out. He believes that Content and Social Media Marketing are the strongest forms of marketing nowadays. Three of the sixteen-footers were completed and used for testing and promotions; this catalog picture depicts the very same boat seen above, only twenty-two years earlier. Drivers had to be careful of foot placement, or else theyd end up falling on the ground! It takes only one quick glance at a side view, above, to see how the F-Model GMC tilt-cab trucks and tractors of 1959-68 deserved the name "Crackerbox.". Sleeper Cab. awkward shapes, it did not receive good aerodynamic ratings, and cut fuel
My Red and White Astro 95 being an older truck was pretty well broken in and she was hot (A/C permanently broke) and noisy to be in 10 to 12 or more hours a day. 8 model, until 1959, when the all-new H model was introduced. See that guy at the helm, in the pink shirt? Oddly enough they still use what cabovers are left for boat transport. A walk-in version was added in 1985. It was like driving a bus! The Pete 362 cabover launched in 1981 featured cab suspension as well as a wraparound dash that I worked on, which may have been subliminally inspired by the GMC. The Astro 95 had superior driver visibility. It featured an all-aluminum cab with a 108-inch or 116-inch hood. 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. Ive never run a General, but the Brigadiers dont seem to hold up nearly as well as the Fords. The GMC Astro and Chevrolet Titan are Class 8 cabover-engine (COE) trucks, sold in both single and tandem rear axle configurations. Their heyday may have started in the mid 80s, but those boom years were fading away by the early 00s. Its too bad they dont make them like that any more. Because of the regulations for length, this style of rig was very popular in its day. 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. Clean, classy, and very GM. Sleeper Type: CAB OVER: Part Info (877)238-5030 Request Info. We could only make about 59 mph but I was cool and comfortable as I cruised the highway. The Ercoa staff were good friendly folks. Mechanically sound. We have everything you need to maintain your GMC in top condition to avoid truck breakdowns and get it operating properly again. Its interior became much more spacious due to an optional sleeper cab. The truck only racked up 85,000 miles in that entire time and the engine only has 2,500 hours on it. 800,000 miles, and a rebuild. metatron-nw.com 2023. The Great Lakes Truck Club hosts the Clifford Truck Show, featuring a hot line-up of cabovers, Macks and older model rigs. 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. All Rights Reserved. was loved by owners and operators alike. White trailers with a big Food Lion graphic. 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. 4 head lights and double bumpers. The white cabooses have interiors that are usually made of glass. The payments on bulldozers and other such equipment are pretty high, and they have to be working to keep the cash coming in. They were legal and they got the job done. Back in the 70s when I started selling parts I had a few customers that ran the BowTie versions called the Titan and Bruin. There are distinct niches in the trucking industry where trucker pay is above the average wages paid. 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. The
The GMC Astro (also known as the Chevrolet Titan) is a heavy-duty cabover truck that was manufactured by the GMC Truck and Coach Division of General Motors from the 1969 to 1987 model years. Class 8 cabover highway trucks are still manufactured at a plant in North Carolina. They have that in common with a great many other big trucks. All were late 70s vintage cabovers with sleepers and rooftop air deflectors, painted white, with the obligatorylogo on the door. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Its great to know so many truckers still appreciate these trucks. Even the old freight shaker cabovers! We opened the doors, bolted together 2 10 shelving beams, wrapped the beams with rugs for cushioning, stick them thru the cab hook up the hoists and gently reposition everything back in place. Who knows? Manytruckers complained that the ride was pretty rough, mostly due to the shortened wheelbase. A lot of the later Astro 95s were Cummins powered. Related > The Clifford Truck Show Best Cabover Collection EVER. Modern cabovers are built with more structural safety features to protect the driver in the event of a crash. I was a little concerned about the pieces that were twisted on the right front, yea they looked fine but I couldnt see taking a chance on this happening again. The new model featured better visibility and improved driver ergonomics. These old school cabover trucks, whetherKenworth,Peterbilt,Freightliner, White, GMC, Ford, Diamond Reo or old Crackerbox, meantfreedom, simplicity, open roads, good memories and yes, some back aches. I would sleep across the doghouse in my cabover. It took a while for me to warm up to that oneI thought it was tacky when I first saw it, but apparently the secretaries got a kick out of watching peoples reactions. You've disabled cookies in your web browser. I spotted this rig several weeks ago while taking a shortcut I rarely use, coming back from picking up a load of equipment bound for the office. Body Parts Cab Interior Engine Components Transmission Components Suspension Components Electrical Components Vehicles . Nine89-2five4-eight20eight Report Last Updated on: February 28, 2023 with 1979 GMC Astro Cabover - $4000 They have a special look. I know the mechanics at the garbage company in Truckee/N. Get to know the CB lingo used by truckers, so you can get in on the conversation, cmon. I may well have been the only guy in the Yellow Pages who knew what they meant by thickwire.. Cabovers werent necessary dangerously. The neighbor has one Brigadier- a 1979 thats on its last legs. [1], In a major change from precedent, when introduced in 1969, the Astro/Titan were marketed exclusively with diesel engines. I had wanted to grab the ice cream sundaeas a souvenir, too, but someone else beat me to it. They were spun-off from Volvo during the Mack acquisition as the combined company would have had to big a share of the Low Cab Forward Truck market. "[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. Cabover interiors are always black and have that kind of chrome finish that makes them look menacing and slightly menacing. The cabooses are all designed with different colors, textures, and materials. But they are still the gold standard in Europe, Australia and Japan. The California Air Recourses Board made me put a 2002 N-14 engine in it and a super large catalytic converter/particulate filter, but it dynoed super clean and the Astro 95 can be used until 2027. The truck was still in warranty, the service rep didnt want to replace all the parts we planned on replacing. Buyer's Premium . You could get Cummins and later the 3406 Cat, but the vast majority had 71 and 92 series Jimmys in them. 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. From what I have seen,
So they dumped their interests in such things as snowmobiles and recreational craft, going hard after that one market they felt was most lucrative. Manufacturer. Not a bad days work. I was really taken with the Astro cab. The Astro offered many improvements over the "Crackerbox" trucks. Any way it was big. 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!! I have a 1983 GMC Astro cabover I had for a few years and slowly fixing it up when I have time to. There are fewer blind spots too. 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. 1979 Peterbilt, 352 Cabover This Peterbilt has been beautifully restored by its owner! The shortened wheelbase allows for this tight turning radius. We like the way they roll. 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. This included special paint, a larger chromed front
The total length of the cab was a mere 48 . She carries weight between 93-105,000+lb loads. The other cabovers weve seen have white cabooses. Given the paint scheme, it seems fairly likely this tractor and trailer spent at least part of their lives together. . The driver would grab the outer rail and swing out and down! Our mechanic seems to look at the Brigadiers the way you do. There was also the memorable wrap-around dashboard, all decked out in woodgrain. Super trucks for local work, but not well suited for long haul trucking. You're a power user moving through this website with super-human speed. Theirs was an Astro 95, of course; a 1978, if I recall. 1983 Freightliner COE Rig This gorgeous rig was on display at the Clifford Truck Show. Following the launch of the cabover product line in 1969, the GMC Astro quickly exceeded the Chevrolet Titan in sales and market share. It looked similar to the above shot when I last saw it, but I bet its cockpit was much more awe-inspiring in its younger days. Made money. So, in 1987, GMC sold the heavy duty operation to Volvo, and
Among their factory leftovers was a small group of V-bottom boats. Most kids wanted to go to the beach, but my favourite thing was to head for a truck stop! TGH928V900010. In the late 1960s, as American truck manufacturers introduced updated designs for cabover trucks, design work began on an all-new Class 8 cabover. You can read the full disclosure policy, which is pretty dull, but here it is. In contrast to the Crackerbox, the cab of the Astro was lengthened nearly six inches into a 54-inch BBC length with two sleeper cab configurations available. Old Dutch plant located in Minneapolis. 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. These gems were a challenge to drive without power steering. [1] In 1983, the Aero Astro option package was released, largely as an effort to improve fuel economy. Tahoe where I used to work had a tough time getting to stuff on our Pete 320 LCFs. The cabovers were nice for doing a lot of repairs although I hated pulling radiators. 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. I am trying to see if by some chance this trailer is still in existence. The left front cab mount failed, the cab has swung around to the right some and landed on the motor. As I left the yard that day, I watched as the dilapidated Astrowas being hacked apart by a small herd of torch jockeys. To make matters worse this truck was built without power steering! Thats actually not an Astro. With their squared-off styling and strange proportions, GMC's aluminum cabover trucks of 1959-68 quickly earned the nickname "Crackerbox.". The interior is ruff, Dan is rebuilding the engine so as to keep it orignal. 1968 GMC ASTRO For Sale in Madison, Minnesota at TractorHouse.com. The new model has replaced the line of C/M 90/9500 trucks. Discover (and save!) $4,000.00 1979 GMC Astro cabover semi tractor Detroit 892v 13 speed 54,276 actual mileage 2,324 hours Starts and runs great. A cabover rig isnt as safe as a long hood rig, in the event of an accident, as there just isnt any protection for the driver. ), But they couldnt just let the boats pile upthey had to get them out to the dealers somehow. The first major update to the Astro was the Special Series trim
"A Brief Outline of the First Century of GMC Truck History - Generations of GM", Rigs of Rods; GMC Astro 95 & Chevy Titan 90, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=GMC_Astro&oldid=1140760775, Articles needing expert attention from January 2017, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 17:11.