The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts question on the 80 series just curious

In my C60 manual it says they made an 80 series. Did they make these with long frames and tandem axle's like they did on the L60s? Those are common here for grain haulers. They are great looking trucks I want to get me a big tandem rig. Did they make 80 series like this? goodness those 80 trucks must me a HORSE Okay I am adding this to the post I just though to look in my book and it says they went to 197 inch wheelbase and 32,000 gvw I believe. What were these used for? Tank trucks for fire depts sometimes?

Chevy 80 series were very popular with grain haulers in the 60's that hauled grain from the Texas panhandle and Oklahoma to Houston and Corpus Christi. The earlier ones came with 348 and later with a 409. Most 348's were replaced with 409's. I think 1965 was the last year of the 409. It was replaced with the 366. Most grain haulers held on to their older trucks and put a crate 409 in when the old one blew. These trucks were single axle from the factory and a drag axle added. They usually pulled flatbeds with wooden side boards. Twin screws were offered but they were for vocational trucks such as mixers. A twin screw requires more power, so they were not used on longer hauls. There were literally hundreds of them that would make 3 loads a week from the Texas panhandle to the port. Many of the Chevys were wrecked from driver fatigue and drivers bouncing pills off the windshield. Almost all of the rest were run until there wasn't much left and therefor not many survived. The Chevrolets finally gave way to grain haulers buying used Diesels. The oil embargo was pretty much the end of long hauling grain with trucks. They couldn't compete with rail. The roads here in the Texas hill country have been widened, but the grades have not changed in 60 years. Hills that would pull a 409 down to 5 mph now pull my trucks down from 68 on the cruise down to 50 mpg.

There are a few C-80 owners on here. One is a Tandem Axel Dump, which should still be over at the Gallery. It was an original 409 truck.

I used to drive a '62 GMC 6500 which is the equivelent of a Chevy C-80. It was a 32,000 lb GVW Flat Bed Dump with Air Brakes. Also had Spoke Wheels and 10-20 Tires. Not sure what Wheel Base it was but it had a 16 Ft Bed on it.

Bill

Thanks for the info guys I saw the one in the gallery they must not be real common. That is a shame so many of them are gone. The 60 series are really tough the 80s must be something else. Yes I wondered if some 80s had the spoked wheels.

My 1965 C80 was a fire pumper truck. It came with the 409V8, Spicer 5spd, single 1spd rear axle, hydraulic brakes and spoke wheels. I think it was a 175" wheelbase.

We ran a good number of 80 series Chevys throughout the 1960s and into the mid 70s. Most had 409s and almost all were pulling tandem dump trucks. We did have 2 single axle tractors and several 'dead' axle tandem tractors. Like crenwelge said most were run hard and wore out thru years of service. All of the 80 series trucks we had ran with cast spoke wheels. I have some pictures on my webshot album listed below.

Would love to see some pics of TruckNut's C80 pumper!!

James

Jim,

I'll try to get around to taking a few pics of it, but it's not anything great to look at right now. I wish it looked like your '57, that's a fine old truck. The interior on mine still looks OK, but the paint on the cab is pretty worn and faded. It's got just over 13,000 miles on it. Like most of these old fire trucks it was only used for fires and parades. When I first got it the pumper body was still on it, but it was showing it's age. The truck had spent it's first 30 or so years inside of a closed in garage, but after it was retired it spent a few years outside. Then after I sold it and got it back a year or so later(long story) the pumper body had been torched up to get the pump out. The fire dept wanted the pump for training. I finished cutting the body up and pulled it all off. The old water tank had been leaking over the years and had nearly rusted the frame through over the rear axle, so I just moved the rear end up and shortened the frame. It takes up much less space in my shop that way, and it's out of the weather until I can do something with it.

Thanks for the info guys and those are some nice looking trucks I don't recall seeing any 80s around here.

Here is my C-80. Mert

http://s955.photobucket.com/albums/ae37/c80_65/