gmc astro cabover interior
In 1986, Volvo AB entered into a joint venture with General Motors in heavy-truck production, with Volvo taking an 85% stake. convenince and comfort, and safety for operators. custom built, and that GMC had been experiencing slightly slumping sales during This is not one of them. This gives good access to the motor for maintenance and repair. These trucks were as tough as nails! The total length of the cab was a mere 48 . A collection of trucker tips from million milers and experienced drivers. The vehicles were mostly fitted with school bus bodies. When backing in to loading docks and winding through heavy traffic, nothing can compare with a cabover truck! This must be the Astros counterpart from across the pond, the English 1974-1986 Bedford TM. The Astro offered many improvements over the "Crackerbox" trucks. As such, several other trucks will be standing in for it at various points. But given their neglected state, it also seems likely that their service lives have come to a close. Special Series. For the paddleboat, of course. 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. They would haul trailer loads of potatoes in from Idaho with these rigs. Im retired now but own a few Detroit powered 73 GMC 9500 10 wheelers to fool around with. 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. 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. The auction would be my first, last, and only opportunity to snag one for myself. Lots of stuff that rattled, fell off or quit working way too early. It could go maybe 65 mph tops. Body Parts Cab Interior Engine Components Transmission Components Suspension Components Electrical Components Vehicles . 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. You can connect with him Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. There were approximately seven built, all told; they were prototypes for a new line that never got off the ground. Each truck had a slightly longer than normal wheelbase, with tandem axles, a steel flatbed with wood decking, and an interesting low-mounted fifth wheel hitch setup. My good friend and photography mentor loves them. I vaguely recall it being at/near a T intersection. Its grainy and basically useless, but unless I find the others, that may well be all that remains of these rigs. USD $3,300 . 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. 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! I may well have been the only guy in the Yellow Pages who knew what they meant by thickwire.. It did the job but no one ever confused it with a Peterbilt or a Kenworth. Maneuverability. (Ever the penny-pinchers, they opted to apply the same logo stickers to the trucks as they did to their boats.). Interesting hearing about truck models from the mechanics perspective. Thats a nice one! 4 head lights and double bumpers. The only other cabovers weve seen have a black, red, and blue interior. No; the Astro was unique to GMC and Chevrolet (Titan). One legacy of the Astro is the windshields. Autocar will still sell you a new truck. You've disabled cookies in your web browser. Drive Side. Its design was cleaner and slicker than the Transtar. I am partial to the old 2 stroke Detroits. Oddly enough they still use what cabovers are left for boat transport. I got a blue Chevy Titan 90 replacement while big red was in the shop. The Ercoa staff were good friendly folks. This is a highly detailed restoration of the exterior and the interior. 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. The others weve seen feature yellow and blue interiors. The cabover is made of metal and the interior is black. This 1974 model was one of the last trucks to travel down the assembly line before the company went bankrupt in late 1974. metatron-nw.com 2023. (Powerliner). The trailers, each one brand-new and built to their specifications, were a sort of light-duty lowboy that attached to this odd hitch, upon which the boats could be stacked two high along their entire length of forty-some feet. Model. They are truly special trucks, and I think were going to see many more of them on the road, as truckers restore them to drive, to relive some of the past. As I left the yard that day, I watched as the dilapidated Astrowas being hacked apart by a small herd of torch jockeys. What a mess. sides of the truck. 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. Great truck and photo. White trailers with a big "Food Lion" graphic. 1974 Diamond Reo Cabover An early model of COE style rig American made. Find the 9 highest paying truck driver jobs in 2022. I cant say I have a soft spot for Brigadiers. As I recall they were much easier to deal with than most boat companies who prefer to use their dealers for all customer support. He later ran an early 90s GMC Brig as his assigned tractor for Yellow Freight before retirement. Much different then cars boats are still a little bit in the wild west of manufacturing. 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). the standards the H series set, yet be more streamlined and beyond. 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. There was also the memorable wrap-around dashboard, all decked out in woodgrain. 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. Must have been a big Chevy truck dealer out there. 1968 GMC ASTRO For Sale in Madison, Minnesota at TractorHouse.com. 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. . 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. Mainly, they were In 1986, General Motors created the VolvoGM joint venture with Volvo Trucks, leading to the discontinuation of the Astro in 1987. 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. $182.00 . 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. Used. See that guy at the helm, in the pink shirt? 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. They are all different shapes and sizes, and are also all designed to fit different people. The GMC Astro and Chevrolet Titan are Class 8 cabover-engine (COE) trucks, sold in both single and tandem rear axle configurations. It represents the days of trucking we all long for, in todays world of trucking, that is so muddled up and complex with its mounds of unnecessary rules, regs and guidelines. Radhe also tries different gadgets every now and then to give their reviews online. The Astro 95 was the best-styled truck of its time, and one of the best ever. 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! 15,875 views May 7, 2017 158 Dislike Share Hunzolee 1.37K subscribers 1986 GMC Astro cabover day cab at. Air brakes. Cabover trucks, COE (cab over engine), are essentially a style of big rig truck without a hood. email me. The best trucks ever. 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! Needless to say, everyone there knew their products VERY well. The sleeper was scaled like the cab and was roomy and comfortable. We can order those things? The GMC truck in the fourth photo immediately reminded me of the cigarette truck barelling down the streets of Detroit in Beverly Hills Cop to the Neutron Dance soundtrack by the Pointer Sisters. I thought the truck fit me perfectly and I became a part of it whenever we were on the road. Not a bad days work. The Kenworth cabover, better known as the bull nose, was built with comfort and driver safety in mind. 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. Single rear axle. Luckily the shop we are in was originally a heavy equipment shop. Drivers didnt worry about head on collisions. Cabover interior is the way that the caboose opens. I read somewhere that Larry Shinoda had a hand in designing the Astro 95. It seemed certain that these once-proud rigs would be fed to the crusher soon. Theirs was an Astro 95, of course; a 1978, if I recall. time. The Titan was a very rare bird even when new. A popular model of truck, with COE fans, and with a following and some clubs across North America. The last GMC B-Series left the assembly line in 2003. My first impression? Safety. But, theyre almost all sitting in the weeds, done forever. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Title applied for. 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. This particular 1977 GMC Astro 95 has an interesting backstory in the fact that it was order by NASA and used very sparingly at the Wallops Island facility in Virginia. After completing the CAPTCHA below, you will immediately regain access to the site again. The first 1,000,000 miles of my driving was in trucks like these. A box is a box! The blue cabooses have interiors that are usually made of plastic. Any way it was big. In 1987, GM ended the production of the GMC General. We have large over head hoists and we can slip a second trolley hoist onto the beam from the next hoist over. The largest cabover trucks ever produced by GM, the Astro was introduced for 1969, replacing the 1960-1968 GMC "Crackerbox" COEs. Gauges for the trailer air supply and pressure were The new model has replaced the line of C/M 90/9500 trucks. Chevy Turbo Titan III. Thats code word for farmers. Aahhhh yes, I spent many a day in these. This model was designed to have a higher cab, bigger rad, and a larger engine, than its predecessor. It featured an all-aluminum cab with a 108-inch or 116-inch hood. Many RVs even up to today use the same glass. It was pretty tiring crawling in and out of it and having to lie down to get dressed! 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 came the companys latest investment, circa 1987: a fleet of new-to-them tractors with brand-new trailers. This interior is one of the highlights of my apartment. However, there was a downside that accompanied this accessibility. I was really taken with the Astro cab. I might have even worked on this one. The cabover interiors caboose is a unique design concept that is made possible by the fact that it has black and red interiors. Cabover interiors are all essentially the same but they all have a few differences. The GMC Astro and Chevrolet Titan are Class 8 cabover-engine (COE) trucks, sold in both single and tandem rear axle configurations. 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. And so it went. 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. To get out, the trucker had to more or less, back out of the cab door, while hanging onto a railing on the door. 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. Dealer service was the biggest issue with the GMC, not unlike any GM product of the day. Despite everyones best efforts, the business finally went under in 2013. The Ercoa advertisement featuring the paddleboat and bikini-clad women was exactly what I was hoping to see! Maintenance and Repair A cabover is repaired by tilting the entire cab forward. Six Easy Ways To Keep Your Truck Cab Organized On The Road. Also in common with GM products of the day Astros didnt age well, particularly inside the cab. The doors were a little wider on the Astro than the International and I thought the Astro was easier to get into and out of. However, Ive noticed a resurgence of interest in cabover trucks recently. All Rights Reserved. These continued to remain as GMC's main class This meant that there were less gauges on the wraparound part than 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 only parts in stock were routine maintainence and some high wear items. The neighbor has one Brigadier- a 1979 thats on its last legs. 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. Previews will consist of visual inspection, and vehicle can be started. upgrade. Werent the other two trucks Internationals? As far as I know this is a Bedford KM, the heavy-duty TK. Its great to know so many truckers still appreciate these trucks. So they dumped their interests in such things as snowmobiles and recreational craft, going hard after that one market they felt was most lucrative. Can anyone tell me where this picture was taken. Some truckers wore full length snowmobile suits in them, just to stay warm! before, and some were cut as cost-savings. We could only make about 59 mph but I was cool and comfortable as I cruised the highway. They were indeed good-looking trucks. Did find the high-res original of that pic, but alas, no GPS information or other pictures for context. A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. As the trucks aged the cab had a tendency to shift to the right as it lifted, older ones would snag the safety hook. Cabover interiors are always black and have that kind of chrome finish that makes them look menacing and slightly menacing. Nine89-2five4-eight20eight Report Last Updated on: February 28, 2023 with 1979 GMC Astro Cabover - $4000 But as you can imagine, by this time there wasnt much left of them. However, due to it's Dan is hoping to use this truck in the summer to haul hay. This was also used in the prototype The model was discontinued in 1987. The early COE trucks were also very cold, as they werent well insulated. Description. Alongside a 702 cubic-inch GMC V12 gasoline engine, the truck was available with the Detroit Diesel 6V71 and 8V71 engines. In 1981, General Motors ended sales of heavy trucks by the Chevrolet Division, leading to the cancellation of the Chevrolet Bruin, Bison, and Titan. Throughout the entire production run, the trucks were assembled in Pontiac, Michigan by the Pontiac Central Assembly facility. There are folks who thought the Astro was a rip off of a Mack design from the early 60s. The shortened wheelbase allows for this tight turning radius. 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. The cabover style of truck took full advantage of the trucking industry length laws, in effect at the time. 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!! This truck was tight, the Cummins was purrfectly quiet and smooth and I was liking that. The red caboose is made of metal too. The cabover interiors are usually made with a black finish that makes them look like they have some kind of black paint on them. The interior was designed for optimal 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. They all share a few very obvious features that make them stand out, like a small seat in the middle that has a handle, a small door that is made of glass, and a small door that is made of plastic. I dont think Id ever consider trying to restore one. My son and I still drive this truck and trailer every week from San Diego California, to LA. -If you have any, please send them to me, 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 Internationals were good solid trucks. The left front cab mount failed, the cab has swung around to the right some and landed on the motor. "Crackerbox" by operators and fans. Cab won't release to tilt. These Astro cabs had (exterior) styling far ahead of their time, especially the ones with the smaller grille. Here are some comments sent in from truckers. If anyone out there knows of others or information on this truck please contact us. 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. She carries weight between 93-105,000+lb loads. The Sleeper Bunk. 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. "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. I had a friend who was renting shop space in a building next to a marine machine shop. GMC Astro 95 Cabover T/A Road Tractor, ; Vin# TGH928V900010, Special Plate- AC122503, Manual Trans.- NO TITLE Sold By: J.G. Truck manufacturers in these countries still make this body style as their lengths laws are still quite rigid, and the cabover style allows for trailer length to be maxed out. Could be theres more badges these wore. 1 of 11 ever made by General Motors. That was all there was to drive at one time. uplevel sound and CB systems. Planning to exit the medium-duty truck market, General Motors canceled the production in 2009. Cabover interiors use a different system from other car interiors in the same way that a car interior uses a different system. In 1977, GM started producing the GMC General, its largest conventional-cab semi truck powered by a diesel engine. After its discontinuation, GM exited the heavy-duty truck market. Truck has dual power windows tilt wheel, extra gages. 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.". Some articles may contain affiliate links. IHC dealers usually at least understood that an out-of-service truck meant someone wasnt making their wages. The nose of the semi is flat and the truck cab sits on top of the diesel engine and steering axle. me with questions and comments! Given the design and material information I hung onto from earlier, I expect to be able to finish their construction fairly easily. But no more please, too uncomfortable. Restoration completed recently. 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. In North America its the other way around. White trailers with a big Food Lion graphic. Feed Body, model unknown cabover Truck has dual power windows tilt wheel, extra gages. Welcome to TruckTube!!! We had to do allot of work to use it in the state of California. It seems like there must be hundreds of RV, boat, etc manufacturers that have shuttered or consolidated in the past 2 decades. Gmc ASTRO Cab, Misc. The GMC Astro (also known as the Chevrolet Titan) is a heavy-duty (Class 8) cabover truck that was manufactured by the GMC Truck and Coach Division of General Motors from the 1969 to 1987 model years. Noisy. Somewhere on the back roads near Pine City, MN, as I recall cant give more detail than that without actually retracing my steps. rearranged. Get to know the CB lingo used by truckers, so you can get in on the conversation, cmon. A few fleet delivery customers but mostly farmers who only used the trucks come harvest time. $20? With that in mind, we have gathered high-quality GMC parts and accessories that work the first time, every time. Loved it when trucks had real character. International Cabover A 1974 model, powered by Cummins 400, 13 speed transmission, owned by Mark Johnson. Super trucks for local work, but not well suited for long haul trucking. The Titan had a 290 Cummins and 10 speed Roadranger and the A/C worked! Additional information is available in this. Year. 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. Call or email for more information. GMC Astro had a windshield that seemed to come down to knee level! The different cabooses are designed to look different colors and to be able to transition from one color to another. They are very similar at a glance. So the length issue wasnt so important anymore. And so it was that I got my one and only surviving picture of the trucks at hand. Its powered by an NTC 400 Cummins, 15 speed, 433 ratio with dual air breathers. Another controversial feature of it was Turned out, he wasnt. 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 can remember the day we got in a shipment of tools and manuals for the 91 Syclone. Guess which one I was most interested in? was loved by owners and operators alike. Radhe Gupta is an Indian business blogger. Of course, being a cabover it tilted forward for access to that huge Detroit Diesel mill. Numbers 1 and 2 could be done from the engine compartment. The truck has a 3406 A model cat 13 spd GM air ride. . !, 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 In addition to light trucks, this meant a potential GMC franchise needed the ability to support medium-duty trucks, heavy-duty commercial trucks, the GMC motorhome, P-chassis, and school bus chassis. And their parts guys knew the product a lot better. The one thing that cabover interiors are best known for is the way they can camouflage some of their interior panels. The faster you repair your semi-truck, the faster it gets on the road and keeps on moving your business forward. Comfort is a big issue especially for long haul trucking. This is not one of them. Even the old freight shaker cabovers! I also have a soft spot for the Astro along with the Brigadeir and General. Apparently, many was the visitor who attempted to dip their fingers into it! They have that in common with a great many other big trucks. GM originally intended to offer an Allison gas turbine engine as an option in the Astro 95 alongside the various Detroit and Cummins diesels when the truck was introduced. The The In the late 1960s, as American truck manufacturers introduced updated designs for cabover trucks, design work began on an all-new Class 8 cabover. Gmc astro Sleeper on HeavyTruckParts.Net. Maneuvering a big trailer was a real workout. 615. None were roadworthy, only one was able to be started, and perhaps worst of all, no titles could be produced for any of them. Under the joint venture, GMC trucks were phased out in favor of White-designed Volvo GM products. Not running. Related >Trucker Culture and Professionalism A Salute to the Professionals That Move Us. 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. You could get Cummins and later the 3406 Cat, but the vast majority had 71 and 92 series Jimmys in them. Please email mewith questions and comments! Save $2,894 right now on a Chevrolet Astro on CarGurus. The cabooses are all designed with different colors, textures, and materials. Mechanically sound. One of the other farms runs a fleet thats all GMC on the older stuff. [1] In 1977, the Cummins KT450 and Caterpillar 3406 became options; the larger engines required the addition of a larger radiator. We had a fair number of Brigadiers with 6-71s in them, not nice to work on. The Freightliners could be as cold as the Arctic, even with the heaters on full! My Astro had an 8V71 Detroit and a 13 speed Roadranger. 1985 Kenworth Cabover, K-100 Kenworth release the first of their cabovers, in 1955. The Kenworths had dog houses big enough to sleep on. All in all the Astro proved the old adage that you get what you pay for. We/I cant go anywhere without people coming out with cameras and cell phones to take pictures of my truck. They were quite safe if they were driven with respect. 1987 GMC Astro 95 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!! I still have a few anti-tamper ECM decals laying around somewhere. Its been stretched, and also has a tag axle. This style of old semi trucks are incredibly maneuverable. [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. But every end is merely a new beginning. I sold off the shop manuals years ago on the internet. One problem with the big windshield was visibility into the truck. 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. All Rights Reserved. There are a few reasons this might happen: To regain access, please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page. 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. At that time, another local company, Boatel, was looking to divest itself of several product lines so it could focus on its core business, manufacturing yachts. CC Outtake: 1975 Austin 1300 MK3 Please Do Not Adjust Your Set, Curbside Classic: 1978 Oldsmobile Omega Grandmas BMW, Streetside Classic: 1974 El Cherito GMs BTV Dreams Project, In-Motion Classic: 1970 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible Hot Mustard.