GMC. It also lacked most of the personalized touches this one hasno fancy clearance lights or custom paint jobs here! Didnt most of these Astro / Titan trucks use Detroit Diesel power? They were once very common, particularly in fleet service. They look like something out of the 90s rather than the 60s. Save $2,894 right now on a Chevrolet Astro on CarGurus. They have a special look. This is not one of them. The total length of the cab was a mere 48 . The one weak area for the Astro was the cab tilt mechanics. Its a FACTORY double bunk. It also has a black, white, and red interior. My first impression? 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! 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 Im retired now but own a few Detroit powered 73 GMC 9500 10 wheelers to fool around with. trucks or the Turbo Titan III program, please There were approximately seven built, all told; they were prototypes for a new line that never got off the ground. This was also used in the prototype It wasnt exactly a dignified end for such a long-lived piece of machinery. From the second picture on, I knew it would be enjoyable! For over a century, GMC has been offering a wide range of commercial and military grade vehicles, as well as genuine auto parts. In the seven years I worked for them, however, none of the trucks ever moved. A practical guide to paid CDL training programs. The trucks, however, were not so lucky. After its discontinuation, GM exited the heavy-duty truck market. 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. convenince and comfort, and safety for operators. The wrap around dash and placement of the controls and instruments was perfect. The different cabooses are designed to look different colors and to be able to transition from one color to another. The old semi-cabover A series was replaced by the all-new H We have everything you need to maintain your GMC in top condition to avoid truck breakdowns and get it operating properly again. No wonder they were called Freightshakers! 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. 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. You had to jack the front of the cab up to get the valve cover off. [1] In 1975, GMC introduced a Dragfoiler roof spoiler as an option. GMC's Astro story originally begins in the early 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! You wanted to be sure you had your pants on when you rolled out of the sleeper! These are gold nuggets for the new truck drivers! Clean, classy, and very GM. As such, several other trucks will be standing in for it at various points. Lots of stuff that rattled, fell off or quit working way too early. Interior. Now for those of you who have seen dbl bunk Astro's yes there were some after market dbl bunk conversions. 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. It was supposedly a big advance in truck design for its time. Super-detailed engine, chassis and interior; CB radio and dual antennas; Astro . 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. Vehicle runs, drives, stops. For some reason most of the few I saw were rag-tag owner-ops out of Quebec. 1950s. GMC Astro had a windshield that seemed to come down to knee level! The shortened wheelbase allows for this tight turning radius. for it was optional. This meant that there were less gauges on the wraparound part than The red caboose is made of metal too. All Rights Reserved. The black caboose is one that is used for a single person and the red caboose is used for a couple of people. Safety. I dont recall who won it, but I do remember that they paid $300 for the privilege. Radhe Gupta is an Indian business blogger. Your commercial medium- or heavy-duty truck needs to be in perfect working condition to be able to make money. These rigs were once quite commonly seen rolling down the highways. $4,000.00 1979 GMC Astro cabover semi tractor Detroit 892v 13 speed 54,276 actual mileage 2,324 hours Starts and runs great. 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. Diesel (unable to determine engine model, but based on serial number would have a Detroit 8v71). 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. I thought the International Cabover was somewhat claustrophobic. Your email address will not be published. Given the paint scheme, it seems fairly likely this tractor and trailer spent at least part of their lives together. Guess I did a better job than necessary, in this case! A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. Also, by the end of the 1970s, Astro's dashboard had been slightly I also lucked out on a few items from their shop, such as this toolbox. 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 white cabooses weve seen are made of metal. The simple fact that these big rigs didnt have a hood, created better visibility for the driver. What was always fun was tilting any of these cabovers to there full tilt range. 1982 Marmon COE A 110P, with the rare option of a V-grill and V-bumper, which is known as the VIP package. GMC Astro 95 Cabover T/A Road Tractor, ; Vin# TGH928V900010, Special Plate- AC122503, Manual Trans.- NO TITLE . Thats a nice one! Definitely a product of White Motor Company or one of its spin offs. 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. As I recall they were much easier to deal with than most boat companies who prefer to use their dealers for all customer support. Condition. Right on about the crappy service with GMC dealers. In stark contrast to the boxy Crackerbox, the exterior of the Astro/Titan featured rounded body corners and wraparound windshield glass. The cabover truck design is outdated for the North American highway infrastructure. The GMC Astro is a heavy-duty (Class 8) cabover truck that was manufactured by the GMC Truck and Coach Division of General Motors. Even upon close investigation, it looked just like an ice cream sundae that had been forgotten and was melting all over the desk! with Rudkin-Wiley Airshield. In 1987, GM ended the production of the GMC General. (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. Its grainy and basically useless, but unless I find the others, that may well be all that remains of these rigs. Special Series. We can order those things? Manufacturer. It did the job but no one ever confused it with a Peterbilt or a Kenworth. 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. 1985 Cabover Kenworth, K100 This Aerodyne model of COE, was one of the best looking of the cabovers. The Astro died honorably with They were quite safe if they were driven with respect. It is a full size cab with a single axel. The truck has a 3406 A model cat 13 spd GM air ride. 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. 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. I wouldnt be so quick to write the Road Commander off as an Astro copy, Larry Shinoda of Mustang and Corvette fame was the man behind the design. 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. There are distinct niches in the trucking industry where trucker pay is above the average wages paid. Welcome to TruckTube!!! Cabover interiors are usually found in the back of a car, and they are usually made of steel rather than plastic. 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. Drivers didnt worry about head on collisions. IHC dealers usually at least understood that an out-of-service truck meant someone wasnt making their wages. The trucker literally must stand up on the seat of the truck and crawl over theengine, which is positioned between the seats! 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 plastic type is often found in the back of a truck, but it can be found in a few other areas as well. Dealer service was the biggest issue with the GMC, not unlike any GM product of the day. The last GMC B-Series left the assembly line in 2003. And so it went. 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. Theirs was an Astro 95, of course; a 1978, if I recall. . 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! On the sweeping floors it may be profitable. I might have even worked on this one. The ultimate custom truck show and big rig event schedule for U.S. and Canada. This is not one of them. 1979 Peterbilt, 352 Cabover This Peterbilt has been beautifully restored by its owner! To get out, the trucker had to more or less, back out of the cab door, while hanging onto a railing on the door. VIN. Here are some comments sent in from truckers. Its powered by an NTC 400 Cummins, 15 speed, 433 ratio with dual air breathers. The California Air Recourses Board made me put a 2002 N-14 engine in it and a super large catalytic converter/particulate filter, but it dynoed super clean and the Astro 95 can be used until 2027. (Wonder how many other people can say they own not one, butthree brand-new, never-used, 1991 model year boats?). Another future COAL . Those old White Freightliners would just rattle all the time. The left front cab mount failed, the cab has swung around to the right some and landed on the motor. Noisy. I can remember the day we got in a shipment of tools and manuals for the 91 Syclone. Its too bad they dont make them like that any more. Of course, being a cabover it tilted forward for access to that huge Detroit Diesel mill. I vaguely recall it being at/near a T intersection. 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. The cabover has black, red, and white interiors. Among their factory leftovers was a small group of V-bottom boats. images may be used without permission except for personal viewing. Planning to exit the medium-duty truck market, General Motors canceled the production in 2009. The sleeper seemed tight and on the same claustrophobic scale as the drivers side of the cab. [1], In a major change from precedent, when introduced in 1969, the Astro/Titan were marketed exclusively with diesel engines. A larger cab provided more interior space and greater comfort for the driver, and larger windows allowed for better driver visibility. Dents and rust throughout, interior dirty and worn. Ive spent my whole life in the marine industry and its amazing that I still find new boat companies all the time. 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. made it able to slip through wind better than other COEs at the 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. It was hell. Anytime the driver wants anything from the bunk, the process is the same. The reason? You see a LOT of dilapidated Fords smoking their way down the road, somehow still going. 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. [1] In 1977, the Cummins KT450 and Caterpillar 3406 became options; the larger engines required the addition of a larger radiator. I cant speak to what other people have done for or against the GMC Astro 95s but I still have mine and it is the only one that I have seen anywhere. GM engineers began working on a new truck that would meet The GMC Astro and Chevrolet Titan are Class 8 cabover-engine (COE) trucks, sold in both single and tandem rear axle configurations. Description. Depending on when it was made its Road Expeditor II, an Autocar or a Western Star. Did find the high-res original of that pic, but alas, no GPS information or other pictures for context. The dealer I worked at had a large rural customer base. Item:24627543 Spencer, IA $242.00. I cant say I have a soft spot for Brigadiers. 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. The wrap around dash was a natural because it sits on top of the engine. With their squared-off styling and strange proportions, GMC's aluminum cabover trucks of 1959-68 quickly earned the nickname "Crackerbox.". I have a 1983 GMC Astro cabover I had for a few years and slowly fixing it up when I have time to. Some of the time in a cabover International and the rest in an Astro 95 then a Chevy Titan 90. Picture of my Titan 90 north of Portland Maine 1979. (c) 2000, Evan McCausland. To this day I still drive a cabover, 48 years and never owned a hood. 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. It had the red and white paint scheme but but was otherwise pretty plain, with cast spoke wheels and painted fuel tanks. Learn how your comment data is processed. Placement of the truck cab over the motor saved some length. Tahoe where I used to work had a tough time getting to stuff on our Pete 320 LCFs. 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 is made of metal and the interior is black. the standards the H series set, yet be more streamlined and beyond. 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. The faster you repair your semi-truck, the faster it gets on the road and keeps on moving your business forward. 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. 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. None of this stuff is even broken in! As you say, its tough to be distinctive. 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. For the paddleboat, of course. 1974 Diamond Reo Cabover An early model of COE style rig American made. Although Volvo GM would continue sales of COE trucks under the White GMC and Western Star brands (the WhiteGMC WH and Western Star Cabover; both versions of the White Road Commander II), the GMC Astro was never directly replaced by Volvo GM, Volvo, or General Motors. later dropped from the lineup. . Want to learn the language of the truck driver? 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!! NO The interior is ruff, Dan is rebuilding the engine so as to keep it orignal. If anyone out there knows of others or information on this truck please contact us. They are very similar at a glance. [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. -If you have any, please send them to me, My extended family has owned and used that exact model of paddleboat on various lakes in Minnesota for close to four decades. AS IS Sold Price: USD $1,120.00 Auction Ended: Wed, Feb 17, 2021 4:04 PM View Buyer's Premium Financial Calculator Stock Number: 520 VIN: 1GDT9L4C1GV541124 Drive Side: Left Hand Drive Downtime means lost income. The GMC Astro ceased production after the 1987 model year (coincidentally, two years after Chevrolet launched a van with the same name). 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. A wide range of engines, which could be easily modified for alternative fuels such as propane or compressed natural gas, made the model popular in the school bus and police bus industry. This is a highly detailed restoration of the exterior and the interior. You've disabled JavaScript in your web browser. One of the other farms runs a fleet thats all GMC on the older stuff. Apparently, many was the visitor who attempted to dip their fingers into it! They were OK trucks in their day, not bad to work on generally. 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. No; the Astro was unique to GMC and Chevrolet (Titan). In addition to the regular cab, a sleeper cab was available as an option. Cab won't release to tilt. 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. Manytruckers complained that the ride was pretty rough, mostly due to the shortened wheelbase. They had great visibility though. Astro featured many things that made it popular and innovative at the None were roadworthy, only one was able to be started, and perhaps worst of all, no titles could be produced for any of them. Some truckers wore full length snowmobile suits in them, just to stay warm! It featured an all-aluminum cab with a 108-inch or 116-inch hood. Copyright 2018-2023 TRUCKiD.com. As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot. I would sleep across the doghouse in my cabover. On our channel we upload daily, our original, walkaround videos of Trucks, Busses and Commercial Vehicles. Every time I see one of these old Astros, I think of Food Lion supermarkets fleet back in the 80s.