The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts New Guy with an 860 Needs Help!!

Hi! I just read this in "Truck Parts Wanted",but I think this is more of a "Big Bolt" topic. New Member:"stoveboltcharlie",(I like him already),has a question about a driver's seat for his 860. No year specified. He says the passenger side "Bucket",is in good shape. Charley thinks he's looking for a match,for the "Driver's" seat. I'm thinking that the "bucket" must be similar to a "Driver" seat,found in old (1950's), buses. They're uncomfortable on short distance "runs",much less hours on the road! And,most buses had some kind of shock dampers/absorbers,(My friends got Knee-action dampers on his '51). I'm thinking that the "Big "Jimmy's",of that time frame,had "Bostrom" seats,unless they had the air-ride suspension,that was introduced in 1957. Even then,I'd think those "buckets would get uncomfortable in a quick hurry. I'm HOPING maybe Mr.Marlow,or someone who actually owns one,can point him in the right direction,before he buys a seat he's not going to be happy with. THANKS!!

Here's what I can tell you which probably wont be much help. I have owned two 8660's and both of them came with Bostrom Viking T-Bar seats. I don't think that was the original configuration though. I have some literature somewhere that I can scan an post that shows the stock setup. I believe they were mechanical suspension of some variation. There are some brackets welded to the back of the cab that appear to be for height adjustment. I was lucky to find a NOS T-Bar mechanical seat
http://s1366.photobucket.com/user/M...g5_zpsf497fd67.jpg.html?sort=6&o=167
that I will use on the drivers side that is in real nice shape and another one that is used but in great shape that I will use on the passenger side. These seats are relatively small compared to modern truck seats but with the T-bar all the way back my knees are sticking up in the air. The other problem I have is, after painstakingly restoring the 22" steering wheel that came on the truck, it is simply too big. My hands would be hitting my knees. Luckily the truck came with parts from two other trucks, including 2 20" wheels so I have already begun my second steering wheel restoration.

The first Bostrom air Ride looked like this.

https://plus.google.com/photos/1081...28501227026&oid=10819770718718669226

The mechanical ones were very similar except that they had a spring that you could change the tension on instead of an airbag. I got my first air ride in the mid 70's and thought I was in heaven after driving a mechanical Bostrom for about 10 years. I'm not sure that there air ride seats in the 50's. All I ever saw was seats that would only move forward and backward.

There were a lot of after market steering wheels around in the early 70's. I put a 16" wheel in a 1970 4070A International so he would quit rubbing holes in the front of his shirt. He was strong enough to turn the wheel without the leverage of a big steering wheel.

Thanks for the response,GUYS! hopefully "stoveboltcharlie" will grace us with some pic's of his 860! B.T.W...that 860 grain truck I mentioned on "8V71,in a G.M.C. 860",had the same grille vent set-up as that Warren Transport rig. I WISH I could find a pic of that truck!

Hello, I'm back to thank the folks who have contributed thus far. Thank you all. I see Ken C.'s contribution "Bostrom air ride". Thank you Mr. Crenwelge. Yours gives me ideas for alternatives. At this time I am stuck on the original look of the "aluminum scoop shovel" seat as I have for the passenger side. If I could go the front end of the truck and add or sub air bags for springs this would help some. The last time I drove my truck on our gravel road, the shake blew the glass pack off. The truck became only slightly louder while introducing grey/blue smoke into the passenger side. I jokingly said "Fire!" to my neighbor lady passenger, but "it's okay, I see that it is not on my side". Charley.

I just bought a 62 cabover International that has the original spring suspension seat in it. I would imagine that the the same seat would have been offered in a GMC. The IHC has a totally different seat for the passenger. It is like a lawn chair and flops forward to expose a luggage compartment. My wife rode in that thing a lot of miles. And it was rough with a rubber pad Hendrickson suspension. When we first got CB radios, I called myself the "gunslinger in the Teddy Roosevelt Diesel car" because it was a rough rider.

Hi Ken.

Thanks for staying with me during my quest. I'll give a write on email and we can visit. Joe Daly, Hart, Mi.

Hey,Stoveboltcharley, I CANNOT find your 860 photo's on technet.com,BUT I ran across my next truck,on that site! THANKS!! Prices are GOOD,in the "Land of OZ"!! This seller has posted some trucks on the "Bolt",here,as well! Could you PLEASE link some pic's of your 860,from a "Picasa","Photobucket",or other account?? I'm sure that there are several of "us' that would love to see your truck! THANKS!!

Dear Willy, I'll try and get "er done" in order for you and others to see the pics of my old truck, a yellow colored 1960 GMC 860. The web site where I found my truck is nextech.com. Nextech is out of Nebraska country. The last time I checked it was still on their site. Otherwise, when winter eases up and I back my truck out of the shed, I will then post some pics. I can tell you though, I feel in my heart that it is a glorious truck! Thank you Willy!

Willy, I screwed up. My Truck is a KANSAS truck and not Nebraska. Where did I get that in my head? The website is the same tho. Charley.

Here is a link to it until they take the ad down.

http://www.nextechclassifieds.com/listings/view/878161/

If they take down the ad, here are a couple of pictures I pirated from the ad.

https://plus.google.com/108197707187186692269/posts/Xr1Ra7LUAfP?banner=pwa

That must be one of those super rare "backwards" GMC 860's!! or maybe I should say CMG's

RHD,too!! Thanks for linking the pic's,Kenneth!