Cabover trucks werent particularly comfortable, back in the early years. 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. GMC Astro had a windshield that seemed to come down to knee level! Drove them back in 88 when I started driving with Schneider National. It was a nice truck but harder to get into tight spots and I was partial to the cabovers. Copyright 2011 - 2023 Curbside Classics. I also have a soft spot for the Astro along with the Brigadeir and General. Additional information is available in this. Theres something very nostalgic about seeing these rigs on the road today. !, 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 And 35 years ago no computerized support systems. It was hell. Just like this big Bedford and the Astro. 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. The largest cabover trucks ever produced by GM, the Astro was introduced for 1969, replacing the 1960-1968 GMC "Crackerbox" COEs. In 1981, General Motors ended sales of heavy trucks by the Chevrolet Division, leading to the cancellation of the Chevrolet Bruin, Bison, and Titan. There are fewer blind spots too. i have being looking for a astro or titan would you be interested in selling one. [1] In 1983, the Aero Astro option package was released, largely as an effort to improve fuel economy. These rigs were once quite commonly seen rolling down the highways. White trailers with a big Food Lion graphic. The driver would grab the outer rail and swing out and down! USD $1,018 . Box Truck - Straight Truck,Cabover Truck - COE Trucks For Sale in Provo, UT: 38 Box Truck - Straight Truck,Cabover Truck - COE Trucks Near You - Find Box Truck - Straight Truck,Cabover Truck - COE Trucks on Commercial Truck Trader. This model was designed to have a higher cab, bigger rad, and a larger engine, than its predecessor. Thats a nice one! Anytime the driver wants anything from the bunk, the process is the same. Ive got several more for later on in the week, but hey why not start with the biggest? Distinguished by its boxy appearance, it earned the nickname "Crackerbox. The GMC Astro 95 (1969-1987) For more information on the last new Astro model, go see the Other Astro Pictures -If you have any, please send them to me, and they will be posted! Learn how your comment data is processed. Despite everyones best efforts, the business finally went under in 2013. The cabooses are all designed with different colors, textures, and materials. With their squared-off styling and strange proportions, GMC's aluminum cabover trucks of 1959-68 quickly earned the nickname "Crackerbox.". Cabovers had great visibility and they had the look of highway trucks, due to their sheer height. Its a working truck, too! They were great for maneuvering in tight spots, but not so great to live in for long time periods for over the road trucking. The overall length of truck and trailer, back then, could only be a maximum of 65, from 1956 to 1976. #3 was under the cowl and the piston/liner assembly would only just clear. Nine89-2five4-eight20eight Report Last Updated on: February 28, 2023 with 1979 GMC Astro Cabover - $4000 cylinder engines, and Cummins power was available. 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. Useful articles fast to read and guides easy to understand written by mechanics and car enthusiasts to turn your shopping experience with TRUCKiD into a pleasure. Who knows? Among their factory leftovers was a small group of V-bottom boats. The trucks, however, were not so lucky. 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. 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. !. This interior is one of the highlights of my apartment. Copyright 2018-2023 TRUCKiD.com. And so it was that I got my one and only surviving picture of the trucks at hand. He told me he took out over $2500 in bronze copper and aluminum shavings. They were indeed good-looking trucks. The Sleeper Bunk. 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. 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.". Dan is hoping to use this truck in the summer to haul hay. 1 of 11 ever made by General Motors. As you say, its tough to be distinctive. Super trucks for local work, but not well suited for long haul trucking. Resale on these still seems to be excellent! It is a medium-duty truck commonly used as a basis for dump trucks, cargo haulers, and other commercial or industrial purposes. This merger formed the basis of the General Motors Truck Company giving the GMC brand name for their trucks. They have that in common with a great many other big trucks. One problem with the big windshield was visibility into the truck. Perhaps even these Jeeps were big trucks in a past life. was a radical departure for GMC-it was completely cab-over engine, and [1] Featuring a (much) larger radiator grille, improvements to exterior and interior trim, the SS package was meant to market the Astro/Titan towards owner-operators. The GMC Astro was offered in single or double rear axle configurations. 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. Maneuvering a big trailer was a real workout. No; the Astro was unique to GMC and Chevrolet (Titan). 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. the rest of the GMC heavy duty line in 1987. Werent the other two trucks Internationals? Related > Classic TrucksFrom the Golden Years of Trucking. 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!! Feed Body, model unknown cabover Sleeper Type: CAB OVER: Part Info (877)238-5030 Request Info. The ultimate custom truck show and big rig event schedule for U.S. and Canada. It was like driving a bus! In what would be a distinguishing feature of the vehicle, the Astro/Titan was produced with a wraparound dashboard;[1] the speedometer and tachometer were placed directly in the line of sight of the driver while most secondary gauges were placed off to the side, based on their level of use. Also, by the end of the 1970s, Astro's dashboard had been slightly Of the seven, five were sixteen feet long, and two were seventeen feet. [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]. One summer day I lost one of the rear ends coming in off the highway. Search our large inventory of New/Used GMC ASTRO Cab, Misc Parts for sale. 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. The others weve seen feature yellow and blue interiors. The GMC Astro and Chevrolet Titan are Class 8 cabover-engine (COE) trucks, sold in both single and tandem rear axle configurations. These gems were a challenge to drive without power steering. Left Hand Drive. The Ercoa advertisement featuring the paddleboat and bikini-clad women was exactly what I was hoping to see! As the trucks aged the cab had a tendency to shift to the right as it lifted, older ones would snag the safety hook. Ive spent my whole life in the marine industry and its amazing that I still find new boat companies all the time. Mine was a great truck, simple and reliable. Some truckers wore full length snowmobile suits in them, just to stay warm! Thats an Isuzu Bedford the TM was a heavyduty TK with a double bumper, I saw one of those on Sunday a dead one they are too low powered and small for todays applications. I was thinking WTF? I had wanted to grab the ice cream sundaeas a souvenir, too, but someone else beat me to it. It was easy for the younger drivers, but not quite so easy for the older truckers! The trucker literally must stand up on the seat of the truck and crawl over theengine, which is positioned between the seats! Guess which one I was most interested in? awkward shapes, it did not receive good aerodynamic ratings, and cut fuel Manytruckers complained that the ride was pretty rough, mostly due to the shortened wheelbase. After its discontinuation, GM exited the heavy-duty truck market. Heres a few pics of its predecessors. Heck, it reminds me of the good old days when there were way less laws and regs. Given the design and material information I hung onto from earlier, I expect to be able to finish their construction fairly easily. In 1959, GMC introduced its Class 8 cabover trucks, replacing the previous "Cannonball" fixed-cab cabovers. Great guy I understand hes still working on peddle-boat designs somewhere. One legacy of the Astro is the windshields. (The folks in their marketing department had a thing for using staff, friends, and family in their promotional photos. Having already acquired White Motor Company in 1980, the joint venture would do business as Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corporation, selling trucks under the combined WhiteGMC product badge. 1984 GMC ASTRO 9500 Sleeper Trucks For Sale Price: USD $23,500 Get Financing* Horsepower: 350 HP VIN: 1GDT9L4C0EV542424 Fuel Type: Gasoline Drive Side: Left Hand Drive Contact Us (573) 544-6500 Sold By: Pierson & Son Trucks New Florence, Missouri 63363 time. Its interior became much more spacious due to an optional sleeper cab. An Australian truck driver talks about the REAL BAD BOY big rig trucks that run through the Outback of Australia. We had a fair number of Brigadiers with 6-71s in them, not nice to work on. See that guy at the helm, in the pink shirt? 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 Astro was also GMs swan song in the big-truck sector, and it never sold in the numbers needed to keep GM truly viable. Sleeper Cab. Special Series. Year. Mechanically sound. 1900. 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. They are all different shapes and sizes, and are also all designed to fit different people. Cab won't release to tilt. (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. One of my regrets is that I wasnt yet smart enough to try to figure out how to save my fathers old 1947 Autocar 10-wheeler dump truck from the scrap yard. Old Dutch plant located in Minneapolis. The vehicles were mostly fitted with school bus bodies. Changing a clutch was always fun since the rear engine mounts were attached to the transmission instead of the engine. The wrap around dash was a natural because it sits on top of the engine. 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. However, there was a downside that accompanied this accessibility. This must be the Astros counterpart from across the pond, the English 1974-1986 Bedford TM. What can I do, I have diesel in my veins and Detroits in my heart. The white cabooses weve seen are made of metal. (c) 2000, Evan McCausland. The replacement for the F/D-series "Crackerbox" COEs, the Astro was marketed by Chevrolet as the Titan, serving as the largest cabover trucks ever produced by General Motors. Those old White Freightliners would just rattle all the time. All rights reserved. When the shop was sold and moved out of town his land lord offered him 300 bucks to clean out the space. William C. Durant established General Motors (GM) as the holding company for Buick on September 16, 1908. Near the end of its run, Astro buyers had the option of several Detroit, Caterpillar and Cummins Diesel engines. White trailers with a big "Food Lion" graphic. This interior is one of the highlights of my apartment. When I was bob tailing, and would hit a bump, Id have a new dent in the headliner. Recommended Company Sponsored Schools, Requirements, pros + cons, what to expect from company-sponsored cdl training programs. In 1943, General Motors absorbed Yellow Coach, a Chicago-based bus manufacturer, forming the GM Truck and Coach Division. Thanks for the pics of the Astro interior, forgot how nice the dash was. They were mostly Astros, these older small-grille versions, in dark blue. Drivers didnt worry about head on collisions. 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. The nose of the semi is flat and the truck cab sits on top of the diesel engine and steering axle. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, Big Truck Outtake: GMC Astro 95 It Makes Me Want To Go Boating. Out here, the farmers still run Brigadiers, Generals, and Ford Louisvilles. Starting in 1980, the company offered the GMC TopKick. Given the paint scheme, it seems fairly likely this tractor and trailer spent at least part of their lives together. Every time I see one of these old Astros, I think of Food Lion supermarkets fleet back in the 80s. Parts Side Vent W/ Inside Cover, Needs Seal, Cab Over. The new model has replaced the line of C/M 90/9500 trucks. Today, you can still find a fair amount If anyone knows about these powerplants in Cabover trucks, COE (cab over engine), are essentially a style of big rig truck without a hood. Right on about the crappy service with GMC dealers. It featured an all-aluminum cab with a 108-inch or 116-inch hood. That was all there was to drive at one time. VIN. Diesel (unable to determine engine model, but based on serial number would have a Detroit 8v71). A 60 Detroit and a 10 speed trannie under the hood. Gmc ASTRO Cab, Misc. It was truly a great truck. On our channel we upload daily, our original, walkaround videos of Trucks, Busses and Commercial Vehicles. I was only supposed to keep the Titan until the Astro was fixed but I couldnt go back to that noisy sweat box now. You are visitor number to this page! I liked the little window in the passenger door. grille, chromed accessories, deluxe interior levels fog lights, and So they let me keep the Titan 90 and I drove it till fall when I decided driving full time wasnt for me and I went back to being a mechanic. The first major update to the Astro was the Special Series trim Maintenance and Repair A cabover is repaired by tilting the entire cab forward. But no more please, too uncomfortable. Welcome to TruckTube!!! The white cabooses may be aluminum, but the black caboose is made of metal. The Astro 95 was the best-styled truck of its time, and one of the best ever. 1987 GMC Astro 95 Not running. None of the seventeen-footers were ever completed. But somewhere down the line (perhaps in the early eighties) they acquired another line of business: building pontoon boats. Turned out, he wasnt. It wasnt exactly a dignified end for such a long-lived piece of machinery. [1] In 1972, the Detroit 12V71 became available as an option; though rarely ordered, the V12 engine would remain through 1978. After a short stint as an OTR driver and still holding my Class A CDL Id like to find a worthy GMC truck just to drive to one of the big truck shows. Downtime means lost income. The Kenworth cabover, better known as the bull nose, was built with comfort and driver safety in mind. Independent front suspension, air-suspension all-round, an ultra-light forward-set alloy cab only 48 long, power steering, a complex fabricated frame that was 50% lighter, and the lightest diesel engine: This was the recipe for the most technologically advanced semi truck tractor in the world in 1959. They are very similar at a glance. Want to learn the language of the truck driver? I still have a few anti-tamper ECM decals laying around somewhere. A box is a box! The interior is ruff, Dan is rebuilding the engine so as to keep it orignal. Cochran Auctioneers & Associates LTD Boonsboro, Maryland 21713 Phone: (301) 739-0538 Email Seller Video Chat 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. 1950s. 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. Ever since those got retired (replaced by conventional White-GMC or Volvo-White rigs) Ive seen few to no Astros. I am trying to see if by some chance this trailer is still in existence. 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. Throughout the entire production run, the trucks were assembled in Pontiac, Michigan by the Pontiac Central Assembly facility. The wrap around dash and placement of the controls and instruments was perfect. Astro model, go see the. In 1987, GM ended the production of the GMC General. The truck was still in warranty, the service rep didnt want to replace all the parts we planned on replacing. If these were being built in the late 70s, they werent that much before my time yet I cant remember ever seeing one. It did the job but no one ever confused it with a Peterbilt or a Kenworth. $182.00 . They were OK trucks in their day, not bad to work on generally. when the cab was tipped, anything and everything in the truck and sleeper berth that wasnt glued down, would fall onto the windshield of the truck! The different cabooses are designed to look different colors and to be able to transition from one color to another. The dealer I worked at had a large rural customer base. A veteran 40+ years truck driver shares 10 of the all time, tried and true truck driving safety tips ALL professional truckers should know AND follow! time. Theirs was an Astro 95, of course; a 1978, if I recall. The first 1,000,000 miles of my driving was in trucks like these. Model. Thats code word for farmers. My Dad drove so many of these, his knees still rattle and shake! International Cabover A 1974 model, powered by Cummins 400, 13 speed transmission, owned by Mark Johnson. Our goal is to support you and your business. upgrade. Tires are good. You had to jack the front of the cab up to get the valve cover off. There are a few reasons this might happen: To regain access, please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page. They also all open in a certain way (although they differ in this area). I wouldnt be so quick to write the Road Commander off as an Astro copy, Larry Shinoda of Mustang and Corvette fame was the man behind the design. 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. The owner has done a terrific job in restoring the unit to its original condition. When I was a kid, my parents would drive me to the nearest truck stop, so I could take pictures of the big rigs, and talk to the truck drivers. Also in common with GM products of the day Astros didnt age well, particularly inside the cab. The cabover is one of the most unique interiors weve found. Previews will consist of visual inspection, and vehicle can be started. wide panoramic glass provided excellent vision to the front and the 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. Planning to exit the medium-duty truck market, General Motors canceled the production in 2009. I cant speak to what other people have done for or against the GMC Astro 95s but I still have mine and it is the only one that I have seen anywhere. The other cabovers weve seen have white cabooses. Comfort. Buyer's Premium . Used. . Theybring back good memories from the past from the days when theindustry paid truckers what they were worth and the professional driver was respected by the public. IHC dealers usually at least understood that an out-of-service truck meant someone wasnt making their wages. The Internationals were good solid trucks. But they are still the gold standard in Europe, Australia and Japan. But, theyre almost all sitting in the weeds, done forever. This went on after the HD line was sold off. 4 head lights and double bumpers. Cabover Truck - COE Trucks For Sale in Provo, UT: 0 Cabover Truck - COE Trucks Near You - Find Cabover Truck - COE Trucks on Commercial Truck Trader. Needless to say, everyone there knew their products VERY well. Numbers 1 and 2 could be done from the engine compartment. The cabover has black, red, and white interiors. Air brakes. 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. Dents and rust throughout, interior dirty and worn. Class 8 cabover highway trucks are still manufactured at a plant in North Carolina. I am actually the current owner of the truck on this article. NO Cochran Auctioneers & Associates LTD Boonsboro, Maryland. I had lots of scares over the years but that one was probably the most tense because it took a quite of bit of time to pull this off and get that cab sitting back down on its mounts. made it able to slip through wind better than other COEs at the before, and some were cut as cost-savings. The GMC Astro ceased production after the 1987 model year (coincidentally, two years after Chevrolet launched a van with the same name). In the shuffle, Ercoa managed to grab the pontoon business and run with it. Or perhaps some do-gooder finally threw it away. The funky hitch is called a stinger and its usually used on car haulers. of these honorable trucks on the road today. Any way it was big. Loved it when trucks had real character. From what I have seen, Must have been a big Chevy truck dealer out there. Today, it is one of the most recognizable marques in the industry. You've disabled cookies in your web browser. However, due to it's One of my most exciting or tense days involved a White Road Commander. As I recall they were much easier to deal with than most boat companies who prefer to use their dealers for all customer support. The Astro could be ordered with standard Detroit Diesel 6 or 8 We cooperate with some of the industry-leading names that use only premium materials and cutting-edge technologies in the manufacturing of their products. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I knew a guy who worked in the service department at a Caterpillar dealer, and he said that some of his customers wouldnt hesitate to come right over his desk if they got the slightest inkling that he might be causing some delay in getting their equipment back into use. These two galsno idea who they aremade frequent appearances in company literature. It doesnt have the sunshade, but otherwise it is a dead ringer. The gmc astro cabover features a black interior with a white caboose. -If you have any, please send them to me,
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