Not running. Aahhhh yes, I spent many a day in these. During WWII, GM supplied the US Army with more than 600,000 GMC trucks. Id been itching to make a deal ever since I became aware of their presence in the back of the warehouse some years ago, but my offers to buy had always fallen on deaf ears. To ensure long and trouble-free service life of your rig, use only high-quality GMC semi truck parts and accessories offered in our online store. Changing a clutch was always fun since the rear engine mounts were attached to the transmission instead of the engine. convenince and comfort, and safety for operators. I was thinking WTF? You can connect with him Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. But every end is merely a new beginning. The sleeper seemed tight and on the same claustrophobic scale as the drivers side of the cab. In 1959, GMC introduced its Class 8 cabover trucks, replacing the previous "Cannonball" fixed-cab cabovers. 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. The GMC Astro 95 was introduced Modern cabovers are built with more structural safety features to protect the driver in the event of a crash. The Titan had a 290 Cummins and 10 speed Roadranger and the A/C worked! Since 1966, General Motors has been manufacturing a line of buses based on a traditional cowled chassis. So the length issue wasnt so important anymore. The truck only racked up 85,000 miles in that entire time and the engine only has 2,500 hours on it. Cochran Auctioneers & Associates LTD Boonsboro, Maryland. 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. [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. After a couple years of testing the idea was dropped due to the turbines poor fuel consumption. Too bad they were unable to weather the recession. AS IS Sold Price: USD $1,120.00 Auction Ended: Wed, Feb 17, 2021 4:04 PM View Buyer's Premium Financial Calculator Stock Number: 520 VIN: 1GDT9L4C1GV541124 Drive Side: Left Hand Drive As of current production, GM has not marketed another Class 8 cabover truck (as the configuration has effectively ended production in North America). Buyer's Premium . 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? The faster you repair your semi-truck, the faster it gets on the road and keeps on moving your business forward. The same bolts held the fuel tank mounts on. (Bedford being a GM division.). I have a 1983 GMC Astro cabover I had for a few years and slowly fixing it up when I have time to. 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. Radhe Gupta is an Indian business blogger. It was like driving a bus! sides of the truck. A few words about their personal connection and memories of cabovers. And when I came on in 2006, things werent looking pretty. They have that in common with a great many other big trucks. before, and some were cut as cost-savings. Astro featured many things that made it popular and innovative at the 8 model, until 1959, when the all-new H model was introduced. Interestingly enough, the people in the front office werent just strategizers and makers of budgets and blueprints. 1985 Kenworth Cabover, K-100 Kenworth release the first of their cabovers, in 1955. The Only Old School Cabover Truck Guide Youll Ever Need, Old School Cabover Truck Photo Collection, The Clifford Truck Show Best Cabover Collection EVER, What It Was Like to Drive the Older Model Rigs, Trucker Culture and Professionalism A Salute to the Professionals That Move Us, 1980 International Transtar Eagle Model Review, The Peterbilt Cabover Truck Photo Collection, The 5 Best Semi Trucks of All Times A Trip Down Memory Lane. Still, he remained hopeful that the tons (literally) of aluminum pontoon parts hed also bought would make up for it. The early COE trucks were also very cold, as they werent well insulated. Browse the best December 2022 deals on Chevrolet Astro vehicles for sale in Provo, UT. Clifford, ON, comes alive on the Canada Day long weekend. 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. Distinguished by its boxy appearance, it earned the nickname "Crackerbox. Its great to know so many truckers still appreciate these trucks. I was only supposed to keep the Titan until the Astro was fixed but I couldnt go back to that noisy sweat box now. Thanks for visiting my page! the cab was made of aluminum. 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. Gauges for the trailer air supply and pressure were IHC dealers usually at least understood that an out-of-service truck meant someone wasnt making their wages. You had to jack the front of the cab up to get the valve cover off. TGH928V900010. 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. A 60 Detroit and a 10 speed trannie under the hood. Title applied for. Its design was cleaner and slicker than the Transtar. Not surprising, given that it came from GM, although its predecessor, the Crackerbox (attached) certainly couldnt have spent much time in the Design Center. Model. We had to do allot of work to use it in the state of California. Still, it was a new truck and I was pretty happy with it. There are folks who thought the Astro was a rip off of a Mack design from the early 60s. But they are still the gold standard in Europe, Australia and Japan. I liked the little window in the passenger door. ), But they couldnt just let the boats pile upthey had to get them out to the dealers somehow. The driver would grab the outer rail and swing out and down! rearranged. My good friend and photography mentor loves them. I cant say I have a soft spot for Brigadiers. Much different then cars boats are still a little bit in the wild west of manufacturing. The shortened wheelbase allows for this tight turning radius. USED - Door side vent, Does not include interior trim, Needs seal, Cab over. USD $3,300 . 1974 Diamond Reo Cabover An early model of COE style rig American made. If these were being built in the late 70s, they werent that much before my time yet I cant remember ever seeing one. After its discontinuation, GM exited the heavy-duty truck market. They were indeed good-looking trucks. By the time you had everything jacked up and secured you could barely work the transmission out of the narrow frame rails. The cabovers black interior is also the most unique. I can remember seeing many of the Astro tractors around until Kroger closed the Fort Wayne Indiana Distribution warehouse. Cabover interiors are always black and have that kind of chrome finish that makes them look menacing and slightly menacing. Cab won't release to tilt. Picture of my Titan 90 north of Portland Maine 1979. Your email address will not be published. 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. (c) 2000, Evan McCausland. And run they did. Drove these trucks for years. Old Dutch plant located in Minneapolis. Drove them back in 88 when I started driving with Schneider National. The only other cabovers weve seen have a black, red, and blue interior. A collection of trucker tips from million milers and experienced drivers. I still have a few anti-tamper ECM decals laying around somewhere. 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. Theirs was an Astro 95, of course; a 1978, if I recall. Im very familiar with TK Bedfords I drove them years ago. They are also typically found on the rear of a car, but they can be found in other areas. Comfort is a big issue especially for long haul trucking. Sleeper Type: CAB OVER: Part Info (877)238-5030 Request Info. For this reason, they are still popular in Europe, where the roadways are generally narrower, with tight clearances, and even more congested than in North America. (c) 2000, Evan McCausland. Safety. USD $1,018 . The cabover interiors caboose is a unique design concept that is made possible by the fact that it has black and red interiors. It Super-detailed engine, chassis and interior; CB radio and dual antennas; Astro . 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. 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. The Astro 95 was the best-styled truck of its time, and one of the best ever. These Astro cabs had (exterior) styling far ahead of their time, especially the ones with the smaller grille. On our channel we upload daily, our original, walkaround videos of Trucks, Busses and Commercial Vehicles. For the paddleboat, of course. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. You wanted to be sure you had your pants on when you rolled out of the sleeper! for it was optional. The driver would be the first guy at the scene of a head on accident. Great guy I understand hes still working on peddle-boat designs somewhere. Placement of the truck cab over the motor saved some length. They are very similar at a glance. We have everything you need to maintain your GMC in top condition to avoid truck breakdowns and get it operating properly again. Never tripped across one that didnt rattle! The blue cabooses have interiors that are usually made of plastic. The model was dubbed the GMC B-Series and stayed in production for three generations. It was hell. No other semi had that much glass, and the fact it went down so far gave the driver better vision of things real close, like someone in a crosswalk, but it freaked some drivers out at first because you do feel exposed compared to say a Kenworth or Peterbuilt Cab over of the time. [1] In 1972, the Detroit 12V71 became available as an option; though rarely ordered, the V12 engine would remain through 1978. Copyright 2011 - 2023 Curbside Classics. Autocar will still sell you a new truck. Just love the old school classics. 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. $182.00 . With their squared-off styling and strange proportions, GMC's aluminum cabover trucks of 1959-68 quickly earned the nickname "Crackerbox.". If anyone knows about these powerplants in Welcome to TruckTube!!! Year. The cabover is made of metal and the interior is black. None were roadworthy, only one was able to be started, and perhaps worst of all, no titles could be produced for any of them. 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. model in the middle of 1949. The Astro 95 had superior driver visibility. 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. But, unfortunately, its also the one big truck for which Im most starved for pictures. Save $2,894 right now on a Chevrolet Astro on CarGurus. Get to know the CB lingo used by truckers, so you can get in on the conversation, cmon. They were deadly in a head on crash. Heres the (much older and smaller) Bedford TK: Diesel (unable to determine engine model, but based on serial number would have a Detroit 8v71). In 1916, GMC made headlines when a husband and wife drove the GMC pickup truck from Seattle to New York in 30 days. Perhaps even these Jeeps were big trucks in a past life. It was the oldest design GMC had at the time, and still One problem with the big windshield was visibility into the truck. And so it went. Once you removed the enormous doghouse from the cab you could actually do the back 3 cylinders of an in-frame from the drivers seat. Not a bad days work. . This is because they are usually made of steel, and they are also available in other materials, such as plastic. Plus, I turned out to be a convenient source of labor for creating the coming years catalog, since their marketing department was no more by that time. The reason? Every downturn claims some, Boats and RVs are big discrentionary extras subject to consumer confidence. You can read the full disclosure policy, which is pretty dull, but here it is. Our mechanic seems to look at the Brigadiers the way you do. 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. And so it was that I got my one and only surviving picture of the trucks at hand. I got to test drive one with a 9L CNG motor and Heil Frontloading refuse body Dec of 2012 and was impressed with it. 800,000 miles, and a rebuild. In the late 1960s, as American truck manufacturers introduced updated designs for cabover trucks, design work began on an all-new Class 8 cabover. They were also louder than long hood rigs, as the driver was sitting right above the engine! Noisy. The yard owner and I were talking at the time, and I congratulated him on his win. 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. If anyone out there knows of others or information on this truck please contact us. Downtime means lost income. Nothing else you could do there anyway. It did the job but no one ever confused it with a Peterbilt or a Kenworth. 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. The neighbor has one Brigadier- a 1979 thats on its last legs. To draw attention to the brand, GMC launched the promotional campaign using several country cross-overs. This style of old semi trucks are incredibly maneuverable. However, there was a downside that accompanied this accessibility. It doesnt have the sunshade, but otherwise it is a dead ringer. And 35 years ago no computerized support systems. And you see a lot of Brigadiers out here too. She carries weight between 93-105,000+lb loads. As a mechanic, I spent a lot of time working on this style of truck. The Ercoa advertisement featuring the paddleboat and bikini-clad women was exactly what I was hoping to see! The GMC Astro is a heavy-duty (Class 8) cabover truck that was manufactured by the GMC Truck and Coach Division of General Motors. It had chrome bumpers, a chrome grille, and a single chrome exhaust stack, but the gas tank was steel, as were the wheels. Speaking of aluminum, perhaps the strangest item offered for bids was the right to sweep the floorswhich the auctioneer claimed would yield barrels worth of aluminum shavings if done correctly. There were approximately seven built, all told; they were prototypes for a new line that never got off the ground. Interior. The Astro offered many improvements over the "Crackerbox" trucks. COEs have been the standard in Europe since many decades, a conventional truck is rare. White trailers with a big "Food Lion" graphic. $20? On the sweeping floors it may be profitable. It was truly a great truck. I drove a COE for the first ten years or so of my driving career. Now for those of you who have seen dbl bunk Astro's yes there were some after market dbl bunk conversions. Its the only one of the three weve seen that has a black, red, and blue interior. Gmc ASTRO Cab, Misc. They look like something out of the 90s rather than the 60s. You could get Cummins and later the 3406 Cat, but the vast majority had 71 and 92 series Jimmys in them. 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. It also lacked most of the personalized touches this one hasno fancy clearance lights or custom paint jobs here! Some models had quite large sleeper berths. 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. [1] In 1983, the Aero Astro option package was released, largely as an effort to improve fuel economy. You always had to check the interior before flopping one of these things open, you never know what you may come across, but a coffee cup was enough to take out a windshield. All Rights Reserved. Ive seen a number of really nice ones, rebuilt and re-finished and restored back to new condition. It used a single hyd cylinder on the right hand side of the frame. 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. As far as I know this is a Bedford KM, the heavy-duty TK. The Ercoa staff were good friendly folks. That was all there was to drive at one time. Air brakes. -If you have any, please send them to me, This truck is very rare as we are finding out. Dan is hoping to use this truck in the summer to haul hay. metatron-nw.com 2023. with Rudkin-Wiley Airshield. Now for those of you who have seen dbl bunk Astro's yes there were some after market dbl bunk conversions. Any way it was big. was a radical departure for GMC-it was completely cab-over engine, and Some articles may contain affiliate links. time. 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. But no more please, too uncomfortable. No wonder they were called Freightshakers! Wild dashboard, what a shame that there isnt really any use for these old beasts once they get on in years . No operation of the . 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. The interior is ruff, Dan is rebuilding the engine so as to keep it orignal. Made money. We like the way they roll. 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. Its powered by an NTC 400 Cummins, 15 speed, 433 ratio with dual air breathers. This was also used in the prototype Stock Number. By the way nice buy on the boats. Hes the one that hired me. So, in 1987, GMC sold the heavy duty operation to Volvo, and . Following the 1980 model year, Chevrolet exited the heavy-truck segment; thereafter, alongside the Brigadier and General conventionals, the Astro was marketed solely under the GMC brand. GMC's Astro story originally begins in the early The white cabooses weve seen are made of metal. The new model has replaced the line of C/M 90/9500 trucks. Our goal is to support you and your business. The Astro 95 is my first big truck of the week, and also the biggest truck in my files. Visibility. It was easy for the younger drivers, but not quite so easy for the older truckers!