Drove them back in 88 when I started driving with Schneider National. Hes the one that hired me. 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. 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 . 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. Distinguished by its boxy appearance, it earned the nickname "Crackerbox. I still have a few anti-tamper ECM decals laying around somewhere. Tahoe where I used to work had a tough time getting to stuff on our Pete 320 LCFs. I love the old KW100E. Its interior became much more spacious due to an optional sleeper cab. Mainly, they were Nothing else you could do there anyway. Of the seven, five were sixteen feet long, and two were seventeen feet. My Astro had an 8V71 Detroit and a 13 speed Roadranger. One of the other farms runs a fleet thats all GMC on the older stuff. Call or email for more information. Their heyday may have started in the mid 80s, but those boom years were fading away by the early 00s. Heres the (much older and smaller) Bedford TK: I am actually the current owner of the truck on this article. Guess which one I was most interested in? 1900 GMC ASTRO 95 Day Cab Trucks Sold Price: USD $990.00 Auction Ended: April 10, 2021 Financial Calculator Machine Location: Boonsboro, Maryland 21713 Stock Number: 615 VIN: TGH928V900010 Drive Side: Left Hand Drive Compare J.G. So, in 1987, GMC sold the heavy duty operation to Volvo, and Even though today GMC mostly offers pickup trucks, SUVs, and medium-duty commercial vehicles with such well-recognized nameplates as Sierra, Acadia, Canyon, Yukon, and Savanna, there were times when the company was focusing on producing urban and transit buses, fire trucks, ambulances, and heavy-duty semi trucks. . -If you have any, please send them to me, This interior is one of the highlights of my apartment. I was really taken with the Astro cab. It was easy for the younger drivers, but not quite so easy for the older truckers! Safety. Depending on when it was made its Road Expeditor II, an Autocar or a Western Star. Autocar will still sell you a new truck. Back in the 70s when I started selling parts I had a few customers that ran the BowTie versions called the Titan and Bruin. The truck was still in warranty, the service rep didnt want to replace all the parts we planned on replacing. A few words about their personal connection and memories of cabovers. 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. Cab won't release to tilt. Every once in awhile Ill see one sitting on a back lot. Item:24627543 Spencer, IA $242.00. All orignal. Needless to say, everyone there knew their products VERY well. Related > Classic TrucksFrom the Golden Years of Trucking. It was hell. 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. The last GMC B-Series left the assembly line in 2003. The old semi-cabover A series was replaced by the all-new H so has very low miles. email me. (The folks in their marketing department had a thing for using staff, friends, and family in their promotional photos. Given the design and material information I hung onto from earlier, I expect to be able to finish their construction fairly easily. Since the length laws have changed so much to allow longer units on the roads, there are no longer the same advantages to this style of truck. 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.". Because of the regulations for length, this style of rig was very popular in its day. The others weve seen feature yellow and blue interiors. for it was optional. But given their neglected state, it also seems likely that their service lives have come to a close. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. $4,000.00 1979 GMC Astro cabover semi tractor Detroit 892v 13 speed 54,276 actual mileage 2,324 hours Starts and runs great. Also seem to recall some connection with carnival equipment. Year. And run they did. In 1981, General Motors ended sales of heavy trucks by the Chevrolet Division, leading to the cancellation of the Chevrolet Bruin, Bison, and Titan. You see a LOT of dilapidated Fords smoking their way down the road, somehow still going. Some truckers wore full length snowmobile suits in them, just to stay warm! In 1930, another GMC truck made a similar journey from New York to San Francisco in just 5 days. For over a century, GMC has been offering a wide range of commercial and military grade vehicles, as well as genuine auto parts. GM engineers began working on a new truck that would meet Or perhaps some do-gooder finally threw it away. 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. 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! Its too bad they dont make them like that any more. The cabover is one of the most unique interiors weve found. 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. 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. 1972 GMC Astro Cabover Truck - Walkaround Exterior Interior Tour - YouTube 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. But they are still the gold standard in Europe, Australia and Japan. Drivers had to be careful of foot placement, or else theyd end up falling on the ground! Used. To make matters worse this truck was built without power steering! Just love the old school classics. It had the red and white paint scheme but but was otherwise pretty plain, with cast spoke wheels and painted fuel tanks. But the pontoon-hauler wasnt quite as fancy as this one. Its powered by an NTC 400 Cummins, 15 speed, 433 ratio with dual air breathers. "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. The interior is ruff, Dan is rebuilding the engine so as to keep it orignal. Starting in 1980, the company offered the GMC TopKick. later dropped from the lineup. gmc astro cabover interior - Meta Tron Nw Mechanically sound. Cabovers had great visibility and they had the look of highway trucks, due to their sheer height. Turned out, he wasnt. However, the conventional long hood vehicle still fairs better in an accident. That was all there was to drive at one time. 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. GMC's Astro story originally begins in the early As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot. Astro featured many things that made it popular and innovative at the The cabovers black interior is also the most unique. A box is a box! You are visitor number to this page! Visit our site at any time to acquire GMC semi truck accessories and parts needed for your restoration or upgrade project. The cabover truck design is outdated for the North American highway infrastructure. cylinder engines, and Cummins power was available. trucks or the Turbo Titan III program, please 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. 118" WB, 104" cab to rear, 184" overall. This truck had plenty of power and I was able to easily beat a friend on mine driving the International cabover out of a toll plaza. A truly excellent truck! with Rudkin-Wiley Airshield. In 1987, GM ended the production of the GMC General. And so came the companys latest investment, circa 1987: a fleet of new-to-them tractors with brand-new trailers. The neighbor has one Brigadier- a 1979 thats on its last legs. time. So an auction was scheduled, and the companys assets were bagged, tagged, and sold to the highest bidder. GMC. A few fleet delivery customers but mostly farmers who only used the trucks come harvest time. Search our large inventory of New/Used GMC ASTRO Cab, Misc Parts for sale. Maneuverability. 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. If every driver of EVERY vehicle on the road followed these safety tips, our roads would be SO much safer. Title applied for. Out here, the farmers still run Brigadiers, Generals, and Ford Louisvilles. This truck is very rare as we are finding out. was a radical departure for GMC-it was completely cab-over engine, and [1] In 1977, the Cummins KT450 and Caterpillar 3406 became options; the larger engines required the addition of a larger radiator. The cabover interior is unique because it is the only one that has a caboose. I would sleep across the doghouse in my cabover. before, and some were cut as cost-savings. From some of the old Overdrive magazines Ive seen, Ford was even worse for HD parts and service to the point they refused Fords advertising for years over it. Great truck and photo. He told me he took out over $2500 in bronze copper and aluminum shavings. The Kenworth cabover, better known as the bull nose, was built with comfort and driver safety in mind. These rigs were once quite commonly seen rolling down the highways. At SMART TRUCKING, were also avid fans of the cabover truck. The Kenworths had dog houses big enough to sleep on. 94, with LT1 power, velour seating, and a trunk rack. 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. The GMC Astro ceased production after the 1987 model year (coincidentally, two years after Chevrolet launched a van with the same name). What was always fun was tilting any of these cabovers to there full tilt range. This was also used in the prototype Numbers 1 and 2 could be done from the engine compartment. GMC ASTRO INTERIOR FOR AMERICAN TRUCK SIMULATOR - YouTube I was thinking WTF? We have everything you need to maintain your GMC in top condition to avoid truck breakdowns and get it operating properly again. Ive had the pleasure to drive an LTL-9000, and the misfortune to drive a Brigadier. "Crackerbox" by operators and fans. It seemed certain that these once-proud rigs would be fed to the crusher soon. The Internationals were good solid trucks. 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. I also lucked out on a few items from their shop, such as this toolbox. The model was dubbed the GMC B-Series and stayed in production for three generations. When backing in to loading docks and winding through heavy traffic, nothing can compare with a cabover truck! As the trucks aged the cab had a tendency to shift to the right as it lifted, older ones would snag the safety hook. there is no reaching into the sleeper to grab something, when sitting in the drivers seat! It was truly a great truck. !, 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 Maintenance and Repair A cabover is repaired by tilting the entire cab forward. Loved it when trucks had real character. 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. 1900 GMC ASTRO 95 For Sale In Boonsboro, Maryland They are also typically found on the rear of a car, but they can be found in other areas. I am partial to the old 2 stroke Detroits. relocated to next to the trailer air brake lever itself, as shown. The one thing that cabover interiors are best known for is the way they can camouflage some of their interior panels. They look like something out of the 90s rather than the 60s. (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. Recommended Company Sponsored Schools, Requirements, pros + cons, what to expect from company-sponsored cdl training programs. upgrade. Your email address will not be published. For more information on the last new Your email address will not be published. The cabovers were nice for doing a lot of repairs although I hated pulling radiators. rearranged. The GMC Astro and Chevrolet Titan are Class 8 cabover-engine (COE) trucks, sold in both single and tandem rear axle configurations. During WWII, GM supplied the US Army with more than 600,000 GMC trucks. 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. Interior. Some models had quite large sleeper berths. The black caboose is one that is used for a single person and the red caboose is used for a couple of people. 1978 GMC Astro 95 These Astro cabs had (exterior) styling far ahead of their time, especially the ones with the smaller grille. 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. 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! It could go maybe 65 mph tops. This is because they are usually made of steel, and they are also available in other materials, such as plastic. 1968 GMC ASTRO For Sale in Madison, Minnesota at TractorHouse.com. The interior is ruff, Dan is rebuilding the engine so as to keep it orignal. The Freightliners could be as cold as the Arctic, even with the heaters on full! [2] Along with single or tandem axle configurations, the GMC Crackerbox was available with a sleeper cab. TGH928V900010. 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. metatron-nw.com 2023. An acquaintance of mine whod recently gone from avid recycler to junkyard owner was also present at the auction, and seemed determined to buy everything in sight. Dents and rust throughout, interior dirty and worn. As such, several other trucks will be standing in for it at various points. They were indeed good-looking trucks. She carries weight between 93-105,000+lb loads. 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. Luckily the shop we are in was originally a heavy equipment shop. A practical guide to paid CDL training programs. The sleeper provided ample room and comfort, and air conditioning Air brakes. The different cabooses are designed to look different colors and to be able to transition from one color to another. From what I have seen, 1979 Peterbilt, 352 Cabover This Peterbilt has been beautifully restored by its owner! Cabover interiors are usually found in the back of a car, and they are usually made of steel rather than plastic. 1972 GMC Astro Cabover Truck - Walkaround Exterior Interior Tour - 2021 Clifford Truck Show TruckTube 3.9K views 8 months ago Cabover Peterbilt With Completely Full Trailer FSC Trucking. 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. I thought the truck fit me perfectly and I became a part of it whenever we were on the road. Dan is hoping to use this truck in the summer to haul hay. Guess I did a better job than necessary, in this case! And so it was that I got my one and only surviving picture of the trucks at hand. If anyone knows about these powerplants in Equally memorable was a prop which sometimes sat near it: a Dixie cup which contained a spoon and was filled to overflowing with white glue, which had a bit of brown paint stirred in and was allowed to harden. I can remember the day we got in a shipment of tools and manuals for the 91 Syclone. 1983 Freightliner COE Rig This gorgeous rig was on display at the Clifford Truck Show. Werent the other two trucks Internationals? The trucker literally must stand up on the seat of the truck and crawl over theengine, which is positioned between the seats! This is not one of them. [1] In 1972, the Detroit 12V71 became available as an option; though rarely ordered, the V12 engine would remain through 1978. You mean this one Bryce ? - YouTube 0:00 / 0:53 1986 GMC Astro cabover day cab. In 1977, GM started producing the GMC General, its largest conventional-cab semi truck powered by a diesel engine. You can read the full disclosure policy, which is pretty dull, but here it is. One of my most exciting or tense days involved a White Road Commander. 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. There was no coming back after that. Thanks for the pics of the Astro interior, forgot how nice the dash was. Who knows? And their parts guys knew the product a lot better. Its the only one of the three weve seen that has a black, red, and blue interior. The Titan had a 290 Cummins and 10 speed Roadranger and the A/C worked! Please email mewith questions and comments! 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. 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. The gmc astro cabover features a black interior with a white caboose. It had chrome bumpers, a chrome grille, and a single chrome exhaust stack, but the gas tank was steel, as were the wheels. I was assigned a 81 model with a 63 as a backup spare truck The largest cabover trucks ever produced by GM, the Astro was introduced for 1969, replacing the 1960-1968 GMC "Crackerbox" COEs. Had a fairly new one in for service, it had the largest sleeper size available, I think it was a queen size mattress, maybe king? In past years, it had been E.R.C.O.A., as in the Electric Reel Company Of America, maker of battery-powered fishing reels. There are folks who thought the Astro was a rip off of a Mack design from the early 60s. They were also louder than long hood rigs, as the driver was sitting right above the engine! 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. [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. This truck was tight, the Cummins was purrfectly quiet and smooth and I was liking that. The left front cab mount failed, the cab has swung around to the right some and landed on the motor. It is a full size cab with a single axel. Placement of the truck cab over the motor saved some length. Manufacturer. This is not one of them. The Astro 95 had superior driver visibility. The white cabooses weve seen are made of metal. 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. As a result, I finally got a chance to get up close and personal with their fleet of trucks. We could only make about 59 mph but I was cool and comfortable as I cruised the highway. In the shuffle, Ercoa managed to grab the pontoon business and run with it. All in all the Astro proved the old adage that you get what you pay for. My Grandpa and my Dad owned several of them. Previews will consist of visual inspection, and vehicle can be started. It wasnt exactly a dignified end for such a long-lived piece of machinery. Our mechanic seems to look at the Brigadiers the way you do. International Cabover A 1974 model, powered by Cummins 400, 13 speed transmission, owned by Mark Johnson. The driver would be the first guy at the scene of a head on accident. The cabover interiors are usually made with a black finish that makes them look like they have some kind of black paint on them. [1] Although Detroit Diesel had developed a gas-turbine version of the GMC Astro in the early 1970s, fuel-economy concerns would keep it out of production. We like the way they roll. made it able to slip through wind better than other COEs at the I actually had to call Ercoa once working a claim on a boat. The next year I was put in a brand new leased 1979 GMC General. At the time I was trying to obscure the trucks location to prevent unwelcome tourists (as I commonly did with any roadside pics). the Astro was now dead. 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. It also has a black, white, (Powerliner). One legacy of the Astro is the windshields. These trucks were as tough as nails! 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. 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. On our channel we upload daily, our original, walkaround videos of Trucks, Busses and Commercial Vehicles. He believes that Content and Social Media Marketing are the strongest forms of marketing nowadays. 800,000 miles, and a rebuild. COEs have been the standard in Europe since many decades, a conventional truck is rare. I love my truck and it will be around for a long time to come. Jun 7, 2019 - This Pin was discovered by Lieutenant 107. Left Hand Drive. 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. Cochran Auctioneers & Associates LTD Boonsboro, Maryland 21713 Phone: (301) 739-0538 Email Seller Video Chat 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 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. After a couple years of testing the idea was dropped due to the turbines poor fuel consumption. 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. A lot of the later Astro 95s were Cummins powered. eBay Find: This 1977 GMC Astro 95 Is A Barn Find Big - BangShift.com Clifford, ON, comes alive on the Canada Day long weekend. Its interesting to hear about what happens to these manufacturing companies when they close. 1978 GMC Astro Cabover Tour - YouTube Drove these trucks for years. Cabover trucks werent particularly comfortable, back in the early years. I might have even worked on this one. No; the Astro was unique to GMC and Chevrolet (Titan). Here are some comments sent in from truckers. 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 From the second picture on, I knew it would be enjoyable! GMC Astro - Wikipedia This interior is one of the highlights of my apartment. But every end is merely a new beginning. Along with the Dragfoiler roof spoiler, the option package included body extension panels between the cab and trailer, an air dam below an extended bumper and an optimized radiator grille. All Rights Reserved. They were deadly in a head on crash. 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. Much different then cars boats are still a little bit in the wild west of manufacturing. This meant that there were less gauges on the wraparound part than The cabooses are all designed with different colors, textures, and materials. We can order those things? The Astro died honorably with To this day I still drive a cabover, 48 years and never owned a hood. Cabovers werent necessary dangerously. The wrap around dash and placement of the controls and instruments was perfect. Id give anything to have one now. The Astro 95 was the best-styled truck of its time, and one of the best ever. Gmc astro Sleeper for sale on HeavyTruckParts.Net [1] In an option that became standard a year later, in 1979, GMC and Chevrolet offered the SS (Special Series) package. Must have been a big Chevy truck dealer out there. 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. Condition. These continued to remain as GMC's main class As much as I enjoyed finally getting to climb around on the trucks, I was actually there for another reason. sides of the truck. That thing is so deliciously 80s. It is a medium-duty truck commonly used as a basis for dump trucks, cargo haulers, and other commercial or industrial purposes. It was a family business dad, son, and grandson could all be found down the same hallway. In addition to the regular cab, a sleeper cab was available as an option. Owned by Ryan Wichtner, FL. But somewhere down the line (perhaps in the early eighties) they acquired another line of business: building pontoon boats. 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.