Thanks for this explanation and the images. This is something I’ve wondered about when I’ve come across photos of trucks like this.
I did a quick search to find the most exaggerated examples of this kind of setup, and this Peterbilt takes the prize – long wheelbase, big dromedary, a sleeper on top of the cab, and two steering axles:
Coles Express ran four rigs like that back in the 60’s. They ran them between Bangor Maine and Aroostook County. Theirs had oil tanks mounted behind the cab. This allowed a paying trip in both directions hauling fuel oil North pulling an empty trailer and hauling potatoes South with an empty tank. Changes in the laws led to their elimination.
These look great and I recognize a few that I built myself. I don’t think I ever built the 65 Impala, which is odd because that’s my favorite Impala of all time! Nice work!
This was the car I wanted more than any other. I was only 12 when they were new and by the time I graduated high school I really had it bad! The cars were already 5 years old and here in Wisconsin they were getting tacky. It’s my one vehicle regret. I can still dream though!
The comparison chart’s specs for the Invicta Black Prince made me curious about the combination of sliding pillars with torsion bars, and I found this article online for anyone else into engineering eccentricities. https://theinvictacarclub.org/the-black-prince/
A secondary benefit of these long wheelbase rigs was lots of room to properly hang tire chains. There was the odd company that ran these in BC but it seemed like more of a trend on the US west coast. Bridge laws were not a factor in BC, though they should be. There were lots of interesting configurations “down south” that we didn’t see for sure. Another was amazingly long drawbars for pup trailers, likely due to the same cause.
To me, this always defeated the one advantage cabovers had which was better manueverabilty in tight spots. Cabovers were rough riding, noisy and hot (AC was a luxury back then). I was always told they were cheaper to buy, thus thier popularity with fleets.
The comment about compensation claims is no joke, I know several drivers who took bad falls. Ice and snow on rungs and grab handles made getting out of these in winter an adventure.
I miss seeing them, but I don’t miss driving them!
My father & I had a nocturnal blue SJ with a black vinyl roof. It had no air conditioning, roll up windows, 3.55 gears, & a special, ordered interior: air craft mesh nylon seats: probably one of a kind. An expert on the GP who lives in Calif. said he never saw this interior. After purchase, I added a hood tach. I believe the engine was the 370 HP version, but the motor had a flex fan which was standard on the 390 HP motor.
In the 1/4 mile it turned in the low 15s due to poor traction. You could sit at the starting line, & floor it: the car would only spin the rear wheels, & not move forward. The speedometer would show 95mph with the car spinning at the line. My SJ would be at 95-97 mph at the end of the 1/4 mile: same as the 390 HP version. On an interstate once I let it roll, & the car pegged the speedometer: I was over 140 mph. I would like to try to locate this car: any suggestions? This SJ was purchased at Palmer Pontiac in 1969, & traded at Cochran Pontiac in 1975: a mistake. Thanks!
Maybe without the “power front disc brakes” it still had discs.
Some people spec’d stick shifts without power brakes to make both pedals’ effort more similar.
Cab with climbing wall is a pet hate of mine Freightliner tried with swing out steps on their later Argosy model COE but they rarely work properly, cabovers are common here every brand has them,
OK there are 4 steps into the cab of the cabover Hino I drive at the moment but they run up the A post when the door is open not up the outside of the cab, 3rd cabover Ive had this season the other two a Volvo and Isuzu were set up the same easy to get in and out of and little chance of a fall,
Plenty of hairpin turns on the highways here and those super long wheelbase chassis simply do not fit in one lane around tight bends so we dont have them and that huge airgap between cab and trailer must have played nasty with fuel consumption, but horses for courses.
It baffles me as well. We had a mixed fleet at work and the short cab overs were great for in town work where shorter was always better. The only explanation I can come up with is that those long wheelbase cab overs used to be straight trucks when ordered new and had a van body, flat deck or box on them then they were converted to a tractor later by a new owner, but a sleeper cab isn’t usually necessary on a straight truck.
Nice writeup of this car’s handling and steering!
Variable assist steering should be required by LAW. I detest steering that requires one to only blow on the steering wheel to change lanes at 60mph.
“brakes were a disappointment”?….
GM.
Thanks for this explanation and the images. This is something I’ve wondered about when I’ve come across photos of trucks like this.
I did a quick search to find the most exaggerated examples of this kind of setup, and this Peterbilt takes the prize – long wheelbase, big dromedary, a sleeper on top of the cab, and two steering axles:
Looks like Ringsby Trucking had more than one of these trucks – the example above is #4000, and here’s 4002, with trailer attached:
Coles Express ran four rigs like that back in the 60’s. They ran them between Bangor Maine and Aroostook County. Theirs had oil tanks mounted behind the cab. This allowed a paying trip in both directions hauling fuel oil North pulling an empty trailer and hauling potatoes South with an empty tank. Changes in the laws led to their elimination.
I really like how the Ford woody turned out .
-Nate
These look great and I recognize a few that I built myself. I don’t think I ever built the 65 Impala, which is odd because that’s my favorite Impala of all time! Nice work!
This was the car I wanted more than any other. I was only 12 when they were new and by the time I graduated high school I really had it bad! The cars were already 5 years old and here in Wisconsin they were getting tacky. It’s my one vehicle regret. I can still dream though!
The comparison chart’s specs for the Invicta Black Prince made me curious about the combination of sliding pillars with torsion bars, and I found this article online for anyone else into engineering eccentricities. https://theinvictacarclub.org/the-black-prince/
A secondary benefit of these long wheelbase rigs was lots of room to properly hang tire chains. There was the odd company that ran these in BC but it seemed like more of a trend on the US west coast. Bridge laws were not a factor in BC, though they should be. There were lots of interesting configurations “down south” that we didn’t see for sure. Another was amazingly long drawbars for pup trailers, likely due to the same cause.
To me, this always defeated the one advantage cabovers had which was better manueverabilty in tight spots. Cabovers were rough riding, noisy and hot (AC was a luxury back then). I was always told they were cheaper to buy, thus thier popularity with fleets.
The comment about compensation claims is no joke, I know several drivers who took bad falls. Ice and snow on rungs and grab handles made getting out of these in winter an adventure.
I miss seeing them, but I don’t miss driving them!
My father & I had a nocturnal blue SJ with a black vinyl roof. It had no air conditioning, roll up windows, 3.55 gears, & a special, ordered interior: air craft mesh nylon seats: probably one of a kind. An expert on the GP who lives in Calif. said he never saw this interior. After purchase, I added a hood tach. I believe the engine was the 370 HP version, but the motor had a flex fan which was standard on the 390 HP motor.
In the 1/4 mile it turned in the low 15s due to poor traction. You could sit at the starting line, & floor it: the car would only spin the rear wheels, & not move forward. The speedometer would show 95mph with the car spinning at the line. My SJ would be at 95-97 mph at the end of the 1/4 mile: same as the 390 HP version. On an interstate once I let it roll, & the car pegged the speedometer: I was over 140 mph. I would like to try to locate this car: any suggestions? This SJ was purchased at Palmer Pontiac in 1969, & traded at Cochran Pontiac in 1975: a mistake. Thanks!
Maybe without the “power front disc brakes” it still had discs.
Some people spec’d stick shifts without power brakes to make both pedals’ effort more similar.
Cab with climbing wall is a pet hate of mine Freightliner tried with swing out steps on their later Argosy model COE but they rarely work properly, cabovers are common here every brand has them,
OK there are 4 steps into the cab of the cabover Hino I drive at the moment but they run up the A post when the door is open not up the outside of the cab, 3rd cabover Ive had this season the other two a Volvo and Isuzu were set up the same easy to get in and out of and little chance of a fall,
Plenty of hairpin turns on the highways here and those super long wheelbase chassis simply do not fit in one lane around tight bends so we dont have them and that huge airgap between cab and trailer must have played nasty with fuel consumption, but horses for courses.
It baffles me as well. We had a mixed fleet at work and the short cab overs were great for in town work where shorter was always better. The only explanation I can come up with is that those long wheelbase cab overs used to be straight trucks when ordered new and had a van body, flat deck or box on them then they were converted to a tractor later by a new owner, but a sleeper cab isn’t usually necessary on a straight truck.