the cab was made of aluminum. Special Series. USD $1,018 . I would bet my paycheck that the truck and trailer were originally owner by Old Dutch Potato Chip Company. Interior. 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. Thats actually not an Astro. The GMC Astro and Chevrolet Titan are Class 8 cabover-engine (COE) trucks, sold in both single and tandem rear axle configurations. 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! He later ran an early 90s GMC Brig as his assigned tractor for Yellow Freight before retirement. for it was optional. 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. In 1930, another GMC truck made a similar journey from New York to San Francisco in just 5 days. In 1909, GM purchased the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company founded by Max Grabowsky in 1901 that designed some of the first ever commercial vehicles. The ultimate custom truck show and big rig event schedule for U.S. and Canada. Jun 7, 2019 - This Pin was discovered by Lieutenant 107. This is not one of them. 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. In the shuffle, Ercoa managed to grab the pontoon business and run with it. Welcome to TruckTube!!! This interior is one of the highlights of my apartment. Cabover interiors use a different system from other car interiors in the same way that a car interior uses a different system. 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. Because of the regulations for length, this style of rig was very popular in it's day. 1974 Diamond Reo Cabover An early model of COE style rig American made. Some truckers wore full length snowmobile suits in them, just to stay warm! Their heyday may have started in the mid 80s, but those boom years were fading away by the early 00s. Some of the time in a cabover International and the rest in an Astro 95 then a Chevy Titan 90. (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. By the time you had everything jacked up and secured you could barely work the transmission out of the narrow frame rails. They were once very common, particularly in fleet service. 118" WB, 104" cab to rear, 184" overall. Yes! GMC Astro 95 Cabover T/A Road Tractor, ; Vin# TGH928V900010, Special Plate- AC122503, Manual Trans.- NO TITLE Sold By: J.G. They also all open in a certain way (although they differ in this area). 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. Or perhaps some do-gooder finally threw it away. 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. You mean this one Bryce ? 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. Orders went through Ma Bell. Your email address will not be published. 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. I believe that a gas turbine was optional in limited quantities, yet My good friend and photography mentor loves them. Tires are good. The red caboose is made of metal 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. 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. Definitely a product of White Motor Company or one of its spin offs. No; the Astro was unique to GMC and Chevrolet (Titan). Ive had the pleasure to drive an LTL-9000, and the misfortune to drive a Brigadier. But every end is merely a new beginning. $4,000.00 1979 GMC Astro cabover semi tractor Detroit 892v 13 speed 54,276 actual mileage 2,324 hours Starts and runs great. Im very familiar with both the Astro and the Transtar. However, there was a downside that accompanied this accessibility. These two galsno idea who they aremade frequent appearances in company literature. The Astro was available as a 58 in BBC Day Cab, and a 86 in BBC 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. 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! The Astro died honorably with The nose of the semi is flat and the truck cab sits on top of the diesel engine and steering axle. 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. From what I have seen, As such, several other trucks will be standing in for it at various points. Bid History for 1975 GMC Astro 95 Cabover Truck - AS-IS Auction Start Date: 06/03/21 5:11 PM ET Auction End Date: 06/17/21 9:03 PM ET Asset ID: 1453 . Its powered by an NTC 400 Cummins, 15 speed, 433 ratio with dual air breathers. The wrap around dash was a natural because it sits on top of the engine. As of current production, GM has not marketed another Class 8 cabover truck (as the configuration has effectively ended production in North America). You can read the full disclosure policy, which is pretty dull, but here it is. All were late 70s vintage cabovers with sleepers and rooftop air deflectors, painted white, with the obligatorylogo on the door. Now for those of you who have seen dbl bunk Astro's yes there were some after market dbl bunk conversions. Generals were actually a pretty good truck, at least competitive with the Transtar 4200/4300 and better than the various Loiusvilles from Ford. Sleeper Cab. The early COE trucks were also very cold, as they werent well insulated. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Super-detailed engine, chassis and interior; CB radio and dual antennas; Astro . One summer day I lost one of the rear ends coming in off the highway. It also lacked most of the personalized touches this one hasno fancy clearance lights or custom paint jobs here! It could go maybe 65 mph tops. Upgrades to the truck's suspension improved its handling and ride, as well. [1] In 1972, the Detroit 12V71 became available as an option; though rarely ordered, the V12 engine would remain through 1978. 1950s. 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. 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. Given the paint scheme, it seems fairly likely this tractor and trailer spent at least part of their lives together. Want to learn the language of the truck driver? Gmc Astro Cabover Trucks For Sale Become a Partner 1995 Oshkosh Refrigerated Van Price : CALL Has Airconditioning, Steel Wheels, 225/70R/19.5 Tires Carrier Ultima Reefer This is a Cream Of Weber milk Van Rear length 14' Width 6'6" Door Width 3' Swing door 190 HP Diesel Engine 3-speed Automatic 6-cyclinder Turbo Salt Lake Salt Lake City A walk-in version was added in 1985. If anyone out there knows of others or information on this truck please contact us. Shopping with us, you get parts and accessories that work hard just like you, built tough just like your vehicle. The dealer I worked at had a large rural customer base. Oddly enough they still use what cabovers are left for boat transport. Ive spent my whole life in the marine industry and its amazing that I still find new boat companies all the time. Never tripped across one that didnt rattle! Maintenance and Repair A cabover is repaired by tilting the entire cab forward. Aahhhh yes, I spent many a day in these. Alongside a 702 cubic-inch GMC V12 gasoline engine, the truck was available with the Detroit Diesel 6V71 and 8V71 engines. Left Hand Drive. I had a Grand National at the time and it was very tempting for me to consider trading it off for one but I didnt want another car payment so that was that. Some models had quite large sleeper berths. When I was bob tailing, and would hit a bump, Id have a new dent in the headliner. It But now a sighting of a working cabover truck on the road is more rare. Air brakes. The truck and trailer were plainly visible from the road. To get in the sleeper bunk the driver of the rig must crawl through a hole. Year. 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. They have a special look. 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. It wasnt exactly a dignified end for such a long-lived piece of machinery. The cabooses are all designed with different colors, textures, and materials. TGH928V900010. [2] Along with single or tandem axle configurations, the GMC Crackerbox was available with a sleeper cab. Cab Manufacturer: gmc Model: astro $2,000.00 1986 GMC ASTRO Cab Create Estimate Tag #: 25276546 VIN #: 1GDT9L4C5GV505534 *Brakes: AIR Engine: CUMMINS BCIII Type: SHELL Style: CABOVER SHELL CAB, COMPONENTS SOLD SEPARATE, ALLISON HT754CR Part Info (877)238-5030 Request Info Enterprise Vander Haags Inc Cb Council Bluffs IA $786.00 1983 GMC ASTRO Cab 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. [1] In 1983, the Aero Astro option package was released, largely as an effort to improve fuel economy. 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. He told me he took out over $2500 in bronze copper and aluminum shavings. On various occasions, I walked in to find the President working a welder and the VP forming sheets of aluminum ahead of him! When the shop was sold and moved out of town his land lord offered him 300 bucks to clean out the space. Your email address will not be published. It also has a black, white, The next year I was put in a brand new leased 1979 GMC General. 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. They were OK trucks in their day, not bad to work on generally. was a radical departure for GMC-it was completely cab-over engine, and There are a few reasons this might happen: To regain access, please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page. Item:24627543 Spencer, IA $242.00. Its interesting to hear about what happens to these manufacturing companies when they close. 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. It seems like there must be hundreds of RV, boat, etc manufacturers that have shuttered or consolidated in the past 2 decades. model in the middle of 1949. Postal Code: 7 LOT #: 10062 Save 1986 GMC ASTRO Sleeper Trucks Buyer's premium included in price USD $120.00 GMC COE single axle. Copyright 2011 - 2023 Curbside Classics. 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. 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. Cabovers werent necessary dangerously. For more information on the last new The cabover truck design is outdated for the North American highway infrastructure. (Bedford being a GM division.). 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. Cabover interiors are always black and have that kind of chrome finish that makes them look menacing and slightly menacing. The cabovers were nice for doing a lot of repairs although I hated pulling radiators. Clifford, ON, comes alive on the Canada Day long weekend. 1985 Kenworth Cabover, K-100 Kenworth release the first of their cabovers, in 1955. Stock Number. the rest of the GMC heavy duty line in 1987. It was like driving a bus! In the late 1960s, as American truck manufacturers introduced updated designs for cabover trucks, design work began on an all-new Class 8 cabover. That was all there was to drive at one time. Still, it was a new truck and I was pretty happy with it. Cabover interiors are usually found in the back of a car, and they are usually made of steel rather than plastic. with Rudkin-Wiley Airshield. But, theyre almost all sitting in the weeds, done forever. The Astro 95 had superior driver visibility. Even upon close investigation, it looked just like an ice cream sundae that had been forgotten and was melting all over the desk! In 1916, GMC made headlines when a husband and wife drove the GMC pickup truck from Seattle to New York in 30 days. I would sleep across the doghouse in my cabover. When backing in to loading docks and winding through heavy traffic, nothing can compare with a cabover truck! Clean, classy, and very GM. So the length issue wasnt so important anymore. 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. 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. MN. your own Pins on Pinterest With that in mind, we have gathered high-quality GMC parts and accessories that work the first time, every time. As much as I enjoyed finally getting to climb around on the trucks, I was actually there for another reason. See that guy at the helm, in the pink shirt? The nose of the semi is flat and the truck cab sits on top of the diesel engine and steering axle. Related >Trucker Culture and Professionalism A Salute to the Professionals That Move Us. The top speed was right around 60 mph, the speed limit those days was 55 mph so many trucks were geared to keep the top speed down. He believes that Content and Social Media Marketing are the strongest forms of marketing nowadays. rearranged. Enjoy our hassle-free online checkout or call to speak to an expert. 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. So they dumped their interests in such things as snowmobiles and recreational craft, going hard after that one market they felt was most lucrative. "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. When the truck manufacturers decided to increase driver comfort in these trucks, their price increased as well. Cabover interior is the way that the caboose opens. VIN. Among their factory leftovers was a small group of V-bottom boats. I liked the little window in the passenger door. The first 1,000,000 miles of my driving was in trucks like these. This is because they are usually made of steel, and they are also available in other materials, such as plastic. The Ercoa advertisement featuring the paddleboat and bikini-clad women was exactly what I was hoping to see! Body Parts Cab Interior Engine Components Transmission Components Suspension Components Electrical Components Vehicles . With their squared-off styling and strange proportions, GMC's aluminum cabover trucks of 1959-68 quickly earned the nickname "Crackerbox.". Its a working truck, too! Instruction, clear advice, videos and photos for truck driver skills, maneuvers and information for all professional truck drivers. Some articles may contain affiliate links. I might have even worked on this one. Dealer service was the biggest issue with the GMC, not unlike any GM product of the day. 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. They are also becoming wildly popular at truck shows. This went on after the HD line was sold off. 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. Noisy. Please email time were adopting. Im retired now but own a few Detroit powered 73 GMC 9500 10 wheelers to fool around with. Theres a bit more thought put into them now but wrap around dashboards are still the norm, the fake wood is still with us though the 2011 International I was driving was covered in the stuff.