September 2015 ToTM

[Palf70Step]

Our theme for our September Truck of the Month (TOTM) contest is:

Big Dawgs

To be eligible for this month’s contest, the truck must meet this criteria:

• Open to all years and models of vehicles that started life as a 1-ton (C30/K30) or bigger model GM truck or commercial hauler.
• The nominee must be a board member and the current owner of the truck.
• The truck must be drive-able/road worthy.
• If a truck was selected as a 2014 or 2015 TOTM winner then you are ineligible. If the truck was nominated but not selected as a TOTM winner then it may be nominated and compete in this month's category.

To Nominate:

You or someone else may nominate the vehicle. The nominee must be a board member and the current owner of the truck. Once you decide on who you wish to nominate, just add your nomination to this thread. We will need two pictures minimum (at least one full view of the vehicle) with/for the nomination as well as the owner’s board name, the Make/Model/Year of vehicle.

Nominees will run through August 23. The first 15 nominees that meet the criteria will participate in the contest. I will PM the nominees to get any additional data or pictures if they have not already been provided. If the owner has a preferred picture they want used in the contest, please let me know in a PM. You can PM me for an e-mail address in case anyone has problems resizing the pictures for the board. A Voting Poll Thread will be set up by August 24 in this board area and an announcement will be posted on the Discussion Boards to notify all that voting has begun. The voting will run thru the morning of September 1 and the official announcement of the winner will be on the evening of September 1. The announcement of the TOTM winner will be posted through the General Discussion Board area.

[TJ's Chevy]

My 84 Chevy 1 ton. 292/SM460

[Jim53066]

OK,
I will throw mine in. I actually just bought this as a tow vehicle for a toy hauler that I purchased. My 78 Chevy Impala wagon does not have the horses to pull the new toy hauler.

The truck is a 94 Chevy 3500, 454, 2 wheel drive with 77,000 original miles. The truck has PS, PB, Air, Tilt, Cruise, P windows, The underside is as clean as the top side, absolutely no rust, all the original black paint is still on the frame.

I am sure this truck is nothing special to some of you, but to the people that live in the rust belt, they are very, very hard to find in this shape.

Jim

[VictoriaHardware]

Well here is a big one- the top of the hood is even with my head and it weighs about 7 tons empty. It's a '65 C80 American LaFrance Pumper- a 2 1/2 ton Chevrolet cab/chassis converted by ALF to a fire engine. It carries 500 gallons of water and has
a 750 gpm pump. Lots of hoses, valves, ladders, axes, nozzles, sirens, radios, flashing lights, chrome, and red paint. It sits today just as it left the fire company in 1998 when it was retired. I am the third owner and it has 27,000 miles on it.

The cab & chassis was built at the Pontiac MI Truck Plant, a place where I later worked. It was rail shipped to Elmira NY for it's upfitting, then by rail again to Victoria VA for delivery to the Volunteer Fire Department. My grandfather was a fireman there and I used to look at (but NOT touch) all of the big trucks while they had their Fire Dept. Meetings. This truck was the newest one in the house back then. I even rode on the back of it during a 1970 parade.

With a 5-speed trans and 2-speed axle you can do a lot of shifting. It goes smoother if you double clutch so your left leg can get a lot of use. Despite the rough ride, rattling ladder, clutch usage, and size, it's a lot of fun to drive and people tend to get out of your way. Top speed is governed to 55 mph but you really don't want to go any faster.

On top of all that, it has a 409.

[47 Fasttoys]

Well, I need to put mine into this mix. It's a 1947 1 1/2 ton COE (cab over engine) The chassis is a 2003 1500 Silverado, drive train is stock 4.8/4L60e with a 48" setback, all of the systems (brakes, electrical, steering, cab mounting, etc.) are custom due to the cab position. This is my daily driver and work truck and right now it has 15K miles since getting it on the road in March of this year. Yes, it's still a work truck with hauling and towing duties on a regular basis. I built it from the ground up starting with only a cab. The details are in my build thread if your interested. The first shot is in Texas on a 9 state road trip.
Thanks for looking,
Rob

[Joesjunk]

Here is my 1987 1 ton 4x4. Bone stock and original. No rust, and factory paint still. 454/400 turbo

[Joesjunk]

Pic #2

[Joesjunk]

Pic#3

[68Timber]

One of my favorite's, GCncsuHD's 1978 K30.

[DeadheadNM]

Here's the new to me 1972 C30 Cheyenne Super motor home - period conversion from Beaver Coach in Bend, OR. It's a big block custom camper truck chassis with tilt, AC, factory buckets, and less than 50k miles.

[DeadheadNM]

Few more pics:

[GCncsuHD]

Originally Posted by VictoriaHardware

It's a '65 C80 American LaFrance Pumper- a 2 1/2 ton Chevrolet cab/chassis
On top of all that, it has a 409.

Very cool story, and a beautiful truck. I have similar memories of my 78 1 ton, I used to go with my father to the local volunteer department while he was training and climb all over the trucks as a kid, including the 78 brush truck I own now.

Originally Posted by BRUISER

One of my favorite's, GCncsuHD's 1978 K30.

Thanks Bruiser!

Here's a few more pictures.

1978 Chevrolet K30 Retired Fire Truck
DSC09882 by Garrett, on Flickr
DSC09872 by Garrett, on Flickr


And a picture when it was fresh out of retirement.

[47 Fasttoys]

2 more: Shot #1 is my poor man's RV. #2 is day #1 after loading the cab in a U-haul for the trip home.
GCncsuHD, that is one good looking truck.
Rob

[atvpro]

Here is our K50 Truck, The Drill Sergeant!