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. The sleeper provided ample room and comfort, and air conditioning It doesnt have the sunshade, but otherwise it is a dead ringer. I happened to be at the yard a few days later, and saw the big old GMC roll in on a lowboy trailer. It These gems were a challenge to drive without power steering. Thats code word for farmers. Interestingly enough, the people in the front office werent just strategizers and makers of budgets and blueprints. You're a power user moving through this website with super-human speed. Made money. I dont recall who won it, but I do remember that they paid $300 for the privilege. I was only supposed to keep the Titan until the Astro was fixed but I couldnt go back to that noisy sweat box now. 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. 1979 GMC Astro Cabover - $4000 | Cars & Trucks For Sale - Shoppok so has very low miles. Visibility was not very good and made life tough in some of the tight spots in the old cities and towns I delivered to. Broken lights and lenses throughout. The Astro was available as a 58 in BBC Day Cab, and a 86 in BBC To draw attention to the brand, GMC launched the promotional campaign using several country cross-overs. I have a 1983 GMC Astro cabover I had for a few years and slowly fixing it up when I have time to. Manytruckers complained that the ride was pretty rough, mostly due to the shortened wheelbase. 94, with LT1 power, velour seating, and a trunk rack. You've disabled cookies in your web browser. (c) 2000, Evan McCausland. Those old White Freightliners would just rattle all the time. As far as I know this is a Bedford KM, the heavy-duty TK. They would haul trailer loads of potatoes in from Idaho with these rigs. I love the old KW100E. The model was dubbed the GMC B-Series and stayed in production for three generations. The cabover interiors caboose is a unique design concept that is made possible by the fact that it has black and red interiors. But they are still the gold standard in Europe, Australia and Japan. The largest cabover trucks ever produced by GM, the Astro was introduced for 1969, replacing the 1960-1968 GMC "Crackerbox" COEs. Complete details for 1900 GMC ASTRO 95 For Sale In Boonsboro, . I got a blue Chevy Titan 90 replacement while big red was in the shop. Cabover interiors are all essentially the same but they all have a few differences. As much as I enjoyed finally getting to climb around on the trucks, I was actually there for another reason. This is because they are usually made of steel, and they are also available in other materials, such as plastic. 1983 Freightliner COE Rig This gorgeous rig was on display at the Clifford Truck Show. And so it went. I am trying to see if by some chance this trailer is still in existence. Tires are good. The cabovers were nice for doing a lot of repairs although I hated pulling radiators. 8 model, until 1959, when the all-new H model was introduced. Cabover interiors are always black and have that kind of chrome finish that makes them look menacing and slightly menacing. He told me he took out over $2500 in bronze copper and aluminum shavings. Some of the time in a cabover International and the rest in an Astro 95 then a Chevy Titan 90. The Astro 95 had superior driver visibility. sides of the truck. You can read the full disclosure policy, which is pretty dull, but here it is. Gmc astro Sleeper on HeavyTruckParts.Net. I had a friend who was renting shop space in a building next to a marine machine shop. This style of old semi trucks are incredibly maneuverable. Today, you can still find a fair amount Im very familiar with both the Astro and the Transtar. The GMC Astro was offered in single or double rear axle configurations. (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. Still, he remained hopeful that the tons (literally) of aluminum pontoon parts hed also bought would make up for it. GMC. Interior. Its interior became much more spacious due to an optional sleeper cab. Yes! As a result, I finally got a chance to get up close and personal with their fleet of trucks. To get in the sleeper bunk the driver of the rig must crawl through a hole. Orders went through Ma Bell. However, due to it's Related > The Clifford Truck Show Best Cabover Collection EVER. Its interesting to hear about what happens to these manufacturing companies when they close. Additional information is available in this. With that in mind, we have gathered high-quality GMC parts and accessories that work the first time, every time. 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. My boss arranged to swap out the General with an older model 1975 Astro 95. 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. The one weak area for the Astro was the cab tilt mechanics. The big windshields and door glass gave a full view of the road. When the truck manufacturers decided to increase driver comfort in these trucks, their price increased as well. All orignal. The faster you repair your semi-truck, the faster it gets on the road and keeps on moving your business forward. There was no coming back after that. I could have sworn I took several of the truck Ill be attempting to feature below, but for some reason I am unable to find them. As such, several other trucks will be standing in for it at various points. The Sleeper Bunk. Loved it when trucks had real character. However, Ive noticed a resurgence of interest in cabover trucks recently. The Astro 95 is my first big truck of the week, and also the biggest truck in my files. Visit our site at any time to acquire GMC semi truck accessories and parts needed for your restoration or upgrade project. Following the launch of the cabover product line in 1969, the GMC Astro quickly exceeded the Chevrolet Titan in sales and market share. Somewhere on the back roads near Pine City, MN, as I recall cant give more detail than that without actually retracing my steps. Air brakes. Truck had more than a few dents! 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. Cabover trucks, COE (cab over engine), are essentially a style of big rig truck without a hood. GMC ASTRO Cab, Misc Parts for Sale - vanderhaags.com 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. Visibility. But no more please, too uncomfortable. Clean, classy, and very GM. I actually had to call Ercoa once working a claim on a boat. Copyright 2018-2023 TRUCKiD.com. 1985 Cabover Kenworth, K100 This Aerodyne model of COE, was one of the best looking of the cabovers. My Dad drove so many of these, his knees still rattle and shake! Luckily the shop we are in was originally a heavy equipment shop. Old Dutch was a really good customer. I noticed and like the 92 Dark Cherry Metallic Chevy Caprice in the background of the third picture from the bottom. Because of the regulations for length, this style of rig was very popular in its day. 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. You mean this one Bryce ? 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. The The cabovers black interior is also the most unique. 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. 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. I can remember the day we got in a shipment of tools and manuals for the 91 Syclone. Their heyday may have started in the mid 80s, but those boom years were fading away by the early 00s. No wonder they were called Freightshakers! Some truckers wore full length snowmobile suits in them, just to stay warm! One of my old neighbors was one of the mechanics that worked there until retiring shortly before the warehouse closed.. (I think the warehouse closed during the early 1990s) If I remember right, he told me most of the ones at Fort Wayne were Detroit powered, although there was some Cummins powered as well, with 7 speeds. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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 Kenworths had dog houses big enough to sleep on. 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. I was really taken with the Astro cab. A 60 Detroit and a 10 speed trannie under the hood. Numbers 1 and 2 could be done from the engine compartment. With their squared-off styling and strange proportions, GMC's aluminum cabover trucks of 1959-68 quickly earned the nickname "Crackerbox.". This is not one of them. The new model featured better visibility and improved driver ergonomics. images may be used without permission except for personal viewing. The Kenworth cabover, better known as the bull nose, was built with comfort and driver safety in mind. GMC ASTRO INTERIOR FOR AMERICAN TRUCK SIMULATOR - YouTube 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. 615. Right on about the crappy service with GMC dealers. I still have a few anti-tamper ECM decals laying around somewhere. 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! Chevy Turbo Titan III. 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. The model was discontinued in 1987. GMC ASTRO 95 Trucks Auction Results - 12 Listings | TruckPaper.com 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. The vehicles were mostly fitted with school bus bodies. 800,000 miles, and a rebuild. The overall length of truck and trailer, back then, could only be a maximum of 65, from 1956 to 1976. In 1959, GMC introduced its Class 8 cabover trucks, replacing the previous "Cannonball" fixed-cab cabovers.
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