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. 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. You see a LOT of dilapidated Fords smoking their way down the road, somehow still going. The truck has a 3406 A model cat 13 spd GM air ride. For the paddleboat, of course. Numbers 1 and 2 could be done from the engine compartment. 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? To get out, the trucker had to more or less, back out of the cab door, while hanging onto a railing on the door. Who knows? In addition to the regular cab, a sleeper cab was available as an option. 1986 GMC Astro cabover day cab. time were adopting. The new model has replaced the line of C/M 90/9500 trucks. 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. As a mechanic, I spent a lot of time working on this style of truck. These trucks were as tough as nails! Just like this big Bedford and the Astro. It was supposedly a big advance in truck design for its time. Tires are good. Or perhaps some do-gooder finally threw it away. Wild dashboard, what a shame that there isnt really any use for these old beasts once they get on in years . They were deadly in a head on crash. GMC Astro 95 Cabover T/A Road Tractor, ; Vin# TGH928V900010, Special Plate- AC122503, Manual Trans.- NO TITLE Sold By: J.G. Stock Number. Chevy Turbo Titan III. In North America its the other way around. Its powered by an NTC 400 Cummins, 15 speed, 433 ratio with dual air breathers. 1979 Peterbilt, 352 Cabover This Peterbilt has been beautifully restored by its owner! Broken lights and lenses throughout. The GMC Astro ceased production after the 1987 model year (coincidentally, two years after Chevrolet launched a van with the same name). As a result, I finally got a chance to get up close and personal with their fleet of trucks. Comfort. Despite everyones best efforts, the business finally went under in 2013. the cab was made of aluminum. 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. The new model featured better visibility and improved driver ergonomics. Old Dutch was a really good customer. Throughout the entire production run, the trucks were assembled in Pontiac, Michigan by the Pontiac Central Assembly facility. GMC ASTRO Heavy Duty Trucks Auction Results Its too bad they dont make them like that any more. I vaguely recall it being at/near a T intersection. Year. Great truck and photo. Picture of my Titan 90 north of Portland Maine 1979. Drivers had to be careful of foot placement, or else theyd end up falling on the ground! 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. This is a highly detailed restoration of the exterior and the interior. Heres a few pics of its predecessors. On our channel we upload daily, our original, walkaround videos of Trucks, Busses and Commercial Vehicles. 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. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_TK. Another controversial feature of it was
There was no coming back after that. 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). 1978 GMC Astro 95
The Pete 362 cabover launched in 1981 featured cab suspension as well as a wraparound dash that I worked on, which may have been subliminally inspired by the GMC. The Astro could be ordered with standard Detroit Diesel 6 or 8
Copyright 2011 - 2023 Curbside Classics. I would sleep across the doghouse in my cabover. What can I do, I have diesel in my veins and Detroits in my heart. Gmc ASTRO Cab, Misc. Mainly, they were
Cab won't release to tilt. 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. If I recall correctly, there were a few of these made with GMC badges on them when White and GMC merged their heavy truck operations in the late 80s. 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. Guess which one I was most interested in? 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. 1985 Cabover Kenworth, K100 This Aerodyne model of COE, was one of the best looking of the cabovers. 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. The sleeper seemed tight and on the same claustrophobic scale as the drivers side of the cab. After a couple years of testing the idea was dropped due to the turbines poor fuel consumption. I happened to be at the yard a few days later, and saw the big old GMC roll in on a lowboy trailer. As the trucks aged the cab had a tendency to shift to the right as it lifted, older ones would snag the safety hook. Definitely a product of White Motor Company or one of its spin offs. Mine was a great truck, simple and reliable. Clean, classy, and very GM. 118" WB, 104" cab to rear, 184" overall. One legacy of the Astro is the windshields. (USED) GMC ASTRO DOOR SIDE VENT, DOES NOT INCLUDE INTERIOR TRIM, NEEDS SEAL, CAB OVER $242 USD Located in Spencer, IA, US Email Seller (855) 370-___ Seller Information Vander Haag's Inc. 3809 4th Ave W Spencer, IA 51301-2082 United States Get Directions View all Inventory (154948) Get Shipping Quotes Save Price Alert Send to a Friend Print Listing That thing is so deliciously 80s. 4 head lights and double bumpers. I sold off the shop manuals years ago on the internet. Could be theres more badges these wore. I believe that a gas turbine was optional in limited quantities, yet
It was pretty tiring crawling in and out of it and having to lie down to get dressed! relocated to next to the trailer air brake lever itself, as shown. It's flush glass and smooth exterior surfaces
This was also used in the prototype
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. 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 plastic type is often found in the back of a truck, but it can be found in a few other areas as well. 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. 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. I may well have been the only guy in the Yellow Pages who knew what they meant by thickwire.. 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. On various occasions, I walked in to find the President working a welder and the VP forming sheets of aluminum ahead of him! With that in mind, we have gathered high-quality GMC parts and accessories that work the first time, every time. They were great for maneuvering in tight spots, but not so great to live in for long time periods for over the road trucking. $4,000.00 1979 GMC Astro cabover semi tractor Detroit 892v 13 speed 54,276 actual mileage 2,324 hours Starts and runs great. Noisy. The truck was still in warranty, the service rep didnt want to replace all the parts we planned on replacing. Gmc astro Sleeper for sale on HeavyTruckParts.Net That picture is pretty much a more modern version of what they were running. Apparently, many was the visitor who attempted to dip their fingers into it! However, there was a downside that accompanied this accessibility. Visit our site at any time to acquire GMC semi truck accessories and parts needed for your restoration or upgrade project. Video: Crackerboxes an Astros - CDLLife The GMC Astro and Chevrolet Titan are Class 8 cabover-engine (COE) trucks, sold in both single and tandem rear axle configurations. trucks or the Turbo Titan III program, please
To make matters worse this truck was built without power steering! 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. rearranged. My Grandpa and my Dad owned several of them. The driver would be the first guy at the scene of a head on accident. 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. 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. We had to do allot of work to use it in the state of California. 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. Welcome to TruckTube!!! Isuzu Bedford might be the name down under, the blue one is very clearly a (Euro) Bedford TM. You had to jack the front of the cab up to get the valve cover off. I had a friend who was renting shop space in a building next to a marine machine shop. . GM engineers began working on a new truck that would meet
Browse the best December 2022 deals on Chevrolet Astro vehicles for sale in Provo, UT. And run they did. cylinder engines, and Cummins power was available. Some of the time in a cabover International and the rest in an Astro 95 then a Chevy Titan 90. Please email mewith questions and comments! 1983 GMC Astro cabover restore and semi work - TruckersReport Luckily the shop we are in was originally a heavy equipment shop. Save $2,894 right now on a Chevrolet Astro on CarGurus. [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. And so it went. GMC ASTRO Farm Equipment Auction Results - 22 Listings - TractorHouse.com 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. Dan is hoping to use this truck in the summer to haul hay. Generals were actually a pretty good truck, at least competitive with the Transtar 4200/4300 and better than the various Loiusvilles from Ford. Ive never run a General, but the Brigadiers dont seem to hold up nearly as well as the Fords. Learn how your comment data is processed. Oddly enough they still use what cabovers are left for boat transport. 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 cabover interiors caboose is a unique design concept that is made possible by the fact that it has black and red interiors. so has very low miles. time. My Dad drove so many of these, his knees still rattle and shake! Starting in 1980, the company offered the GMC TopKick. White trailers with a big Food Lion graphic. One of my most exciting or tense days involved a White Road Commander. 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 . Manufacturer. The gmc astro cabover features a black interior with a white caboose. #3 was under the cowl and the piston/liner assembly would only just clear. And 35 years ago no computerized support systems. I had wanted to grab the ice cream sundaeas a souvenir, too, but someone else beat me to it. 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. My son and I still drive this truck and trailer every week from San Diego California, to LA. The interior is ruff, Dan is rebuilding the engine so as to keep it orignal. Updated: Mon, Nov 14, 2022 1:32 PM Get Shipping Quotes - (Opens in a new tab) Apply for Financing - (Opens in a new tab) No image. They have that in common with a great many other big trucks. I drove a COE for the first ten years or so of my driving career. 1978 GMC Astro Cabover Tour - YouTube Great guy I understand hes still working on peddle-boat designs somewhere. We have everything you need to maintain your GMC in top condition to avoid truck breakdowns and get it operating properly again. Maneuvering a big trailer was a real workout. The interior was designed for optimal
Any way it was big. He told me he took out over $2500 in bronze copper and aluminum shavings. The sleeper provided ample room and comfort, and air conditioning
I thought the International Cabover was somewhat claustrophobic. These two galsno idea who they aremade frequent appearances in company literature. USED - Door side vent, Does not include interior trim, Needs seal, Cab over. Previews will consist of visual inspection, and vehicle can be started. 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. The nose of the semi is flat and the truck cab sits on top of the diesel engine and steering axle. eBay Find: This 1977 GMC Astro 95 Is A Barn Find Big - BangShift.com It was easy for the younger drivers, but not quite so easy for the older truckers! convenince and comfort, and safety for operators. They were legal and they got the job done. There are fewer blind spots too. Related > Classic TrucksFrom the Golden Years of Trucking. Given the paint scheme, it seems fairly likely this tractor and trailer spent at least part of their lives together. [1] In 1983, the Aero Astro option package was released, largely as an effort to improve fuel economy. Visibility was not very good and made life tough in some of the tight spots in the old cities and towns I delivered to. Comfort is a big issue especially for long haul trucking. In 1959, GMC introduced its Class 8 cabover trucks, replacing the previous "Cannonball" fixed-cab cabovers. 1985 Kenworth Cabover, K-100 Kenworth release the first of their cabovers, in 1955. 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. My extended family has owned and used that exact model of paddleboat on various lakes in Minnesota for close to four decades. later dropped from the lineup. My first impression? Single rear axle. The Titan had a 290 Cummins and 10 speed Roadranger and the A/C worked! I was a little concerned about the pieces that were twisted on the right front, yea they looked fine but I couldnt see taking a chance on this happening again. 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. Not surprising, given that it came from GM, although its predecessor, the Crackerbox (attached) certainly couldnt have spent much time in the Design Center. They were once very common, particularly in fleet service. Vehicle runs, drives, stops. 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. (The folks in their marketing department had a thing for using staff, friends, and family in their promotional photos. The dealer I worked at had a large rural customer base. This truck is very rare as we are finding out. Nine89-2five4-eight20eight Report Last Updated on: February 28, 2023 with 1979 GMC Astro Cabover - $4000 It was a nice truck but harder to get into tight spots and I was partial to the cabovers. One could update the grille and headlights and the Astro 2.0 wouldnt look out of place today in a lineup of new trucks on the dealer lot. It seemed certain that these once-proud rigs would be fed to the crusher soon. "Crackerbox" by operators and fans. By the mid eighties, they were doing pretty well for themselves: theyd moved into a big new facility, had expanded their lineup to include such things as portable ice houses and their trademark line of peddle-boats, and of course they were still cranking out pontoons left and right. A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. What was always fun was tilting any of these cabovers to there full tilt range. Enjoy our hassle-free online checkout or call to speak to an expert. 1900 GMC ASTRO 95 For Sale In Boonsboro, Maryland Production ran from 1969 until late 1987, when GM merged their heavy truck operation with Volvo/White the Astro 95 was replaced by the Volvo version of the White Road Commander II, probably a step backward. The Kenworths had dog houses big enough to sleep on. Restoration completed recently. So an auction was scheduled, and the companys assets were bagged, tagged, and sold to the highest bidder. Gmc Astro Cabover Trucks For Sale | AgriSeek.com 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. Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: Yugo When Was The Last Time You Saw One? A major factor leading to the cancellation was lack of support for heavy-duty trucks by Chevrolet dealers. 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. This interior is one of the highlights of my apartment. USD $1,018 . 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. 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. Cabover trucks, COE (cab over engine), are essentially a style of big rig truck without a hood. Discover (and save!) 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. "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 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. With their squared-off styling and strange proportions, GMC's aluminum cabover trucks of 1959-68 quickly earned the nickname "Crackerbox.". 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. These are gold nuggets for the new truck drivers! My Astro had an 8V71 Detroit and a 13 speed Roadranger. Add To Cart. For a typical dealership, this meant dedicating profitable space that would have otherwise gone to selling passenger cars. But now a sighting of a working cabover truck on the road is more rare. 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! International Cabover A 1974 model, powered by Cummins 400, 13 speed transmission, owned by Mark Johnson. [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. The only other cabovers weve seen have a black, red, and blue interior. They are very similar at a glance. When he used to be their mechanic, he claimed that they were always in the shop for something. They are also usually found on the back of a car, but they can be found in other areas as well. The one weak area for the Astro was the cab tilt mechanics. 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 The GMC Astro is a heavy-duty (Class 8) cabover truck that was manufactured by the GMC Truck and Coach Division of General Motors. You've disabled cookies in your web browser. 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. After its discontinuation, GM exited the heavy-duty truck market. Of course, being a cabover it tilted forward for access to that huge Detroit Diesel mill. 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. NO
Loved it when trucks had real character. He later ran an early 90s GMC Brig as his assigned tractor for Yellow Freight before retirement. 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. They had great visibility though. Under the joint venture, GMC trucks were phased out in favor of White-designed Volvo GM products. Thats an Isuzu Bedford the TM was a heavyduty TK with a double bumper, I saw one of those on Sunday a dead one they are too low powered and small for todays applications. The cabover truck design is outdated for the North American highway infrastructure. and they will be posted! I was only supposed to keep the Titan until the Astro was fixed but I couldnt go back to that noisy sweat box now. The gmc astro cabover features a black interior with a white caboose. Planning to exit the medium-duty truck market, General Motors canceled the production in 2009. Some models had quite large sleeper berths. They were indeed good-looking trucks. Placement of the truck cab over the motor saved some length. GMC Astro 95 Cabover T/A Road Tractor, ; Vin# TGH928V900010, Special Plate- AC122503, Manual Trans.- NO TITLE . I also have a soft spot for the Astro along with the Brigadeir and General. The early COE trucks were also very cold, as they werent well insulated. My client roster once included a manufacturing firm called Ercoa. I can remember the day we got in a shipment of tools and manuals for the 91 Syclone. These continued to remain as GMC's main class
These Astro cabs had (exterior) styling far ahead of their time, especially the ones with the smaller grille. Its design was cleaner and slicker than the Transtar. It seemed the final nail in their coffin might have been the failure of a large chain of boat dealers, which happened to be one of their biggest distributors. 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. This is not one of them. Some articles may contain affiliate links. Maintenance and Repair A cabover is repaired by tilting the entire cab forward. To draw attention to the brand, GMC launched the promotional campaign using several country cross-overs. As such, several other trucks will be standing in for it at various points. When backing in to loading docks and winding through heavy traffic, nothing can compare with a cabover truck! 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. It was hell. Cabovers werent necessary dangerously. Among their factory leftovers was a small group of V-bottom boats. No; the Astro was unique to GMC and Chevrolet (Titan). Get to know the CB lingo used by truckers, so you can get in on the conversation, cmon. VIN. There were approximately seven built, all told; they were prototypes for a new line that never got off the ground. time. We can order those things? I still think about those days and whenever I see a picture of an Astro 95/ Chevy Titan 90 I know first hand they were one of the best designed and nicest looking trucks on the road. They are all different shapes and sizes, and are also all designed to fit different people.