GMC stuff

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
That robin egg blue transporter is the same color Anchor Motor Freight used, I wonder if the companies were related? They hauled all the GM products from the Tarrytown plant about an hour away from me. I used to see the trucks all the time, I delivered to a store a few blocks from the plant.

Any idea what's in the tanker behind the crackerbox? I don't think I've ever seen that many axles before!
 

Tiny

Well-known member
I don't know what might be carried (has flammable decals) . I do know that Michigan has some pretty liberal weight laws (Once the frost laws are off) . You can get some outrageous weight compared to others states , Just have to have enough axles .
 
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Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
I found a couple pics of the transporters I was talking about. I also learned Anchor Motor Freight was bought out by Leaseway Transportation.

Earlier models had a pusher axle with 19 inch rubber
Leaseway 1.jpg


Later they started carrying 5 cars on the tractor and the trailer was on a low mounted 5th wheel.

Leaseway2.jpg
 

Martin

Active member
Howdy,
I think the Cracker box GMC is A&C Carriers truck. If I am not mistaken they are based in Dearborn. They are a bulk fuel delivery company.
not sure how many gallon tanker that would be? You are right Steve , that's a lot of axles.
Tiny, keep the pictures coming, I really enjoy them.
Martin
 

rzucker

Well-known member
Wow, blast from the past. When I was 17-18 I drove a 9500 almost identically equipped to the Lane tractor above. Minus the rooftop air. It had the 8V-71, 13 spd, and exactly the same color scheme as the long nose wrecker at the top. I thought it was actually a fun truck to drive, very nimble in tight areas. The ride quality wasnt very good however. In those days I always dreamed about having the long hood version with a 12V-71 stuffed into it.
 

rzucker

Well-known member
That one with the dual headlights looks like it was probably 6-71 powered, looks like the lower mounted cab too. I dont think I have ever seen an 8V-71 powered 9500 with duals unless it was a long nose. Just happens I know where theres a longnose with single headlights sitting in the weeds... and I have a 12V71 sitting out back. Hmm, good combination. Just takes money.:bangh
 

rzucker

Well-known member
Come on you guys. There has to be more to the GMC thing. If I could put 290,000 miles on a 9500, the rest of you gotta have a story too.
 

RonG

Well-known member
One of my uncles had a sawmill on the farm while I was growing up for several years and one of his trucks was an old 40s GMC like the opening post here.I used to like to compare them to the old K7,K8 Internationals of that vintage,they were always going by the house loaded with lumber.
We never had a car or phone back in those days so us gearhead kids used to really enjoy the exposure.Ron G
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
When I was a kid the road I lived on paralleled State Rt. 82, one of 3 north/south state roads that go through our county. There was a fuel oil company that had a twin screw long hood 9500 with tank trailer that hauled oil two towns up. It had an 8V71 in it with what seemed like a hundred gears, he was always shifting that thing and I could hear it coming from miles away. The nearest traffic light at that time was about 6 miles away and I could hear him pull away from it, still shifting as he passed by my house. It started out in Texaco colors and saw different paint schemes through its life as the company changed hands a few times. The sound never changed though, that Detroit screamed through the twin stacks on the back of the cab!
 

RonG

Well-known member
Back in the day,late '67/'68 when Mack changed body styles from the "B" models to the R,U and DMs we bought a couple of new DM800s with 12cy Jeager mixers on them and I got one new.We could not get the Maxidyne yet so they had the 250/Quadruplexes in them.Those were a sweet transmission to shift and they had 4 grease fittings on the shift rails on top of the transmission case that helped keep everything smooth.
Now,sound........In the spring we got two or three more DM800s with the new Maxidyne,talk about a hot rod,just the sound with that straight pipe,the blower had a tag on it that proclaimed "silencing device".I finally got one myself,a handmedown but the bark of that engine was pure joy.When you dumped the throttle during a hard pull the blower would unload back through the air cleaner,what a sound.
There was a learning curve that went with it too,those high torque rise engines lugging down and just kept on pulling.The low limit was now 1200 rpm and we had been taught over all these years that 1500 was time to shift but that 237 just kept on pulling.And barking,who could run with the right window closed?
They came through with three different transmission configurations,the 5 speed with deep under in the auxillary,then the next one had the overdrive in the auxilliary an finally the one I liked the best with reverse,under and over in the auxilliary.I found that the Maxidyne liked the low rpms the best,that was when it was getting the most fuel and was running the hottest........and sounding the best...lol.On a dead pull,and I have tried this more than once,the 250 would outpull the 237 by just a scoche,I mean you could see what 13 horsepower was doing but ,man,what a lot of work to get there and that Gold Bulldog just had 5 speeds to row.Ron G
 
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