Old cabovers and heavy-duty trucks that at one time pulled heavy loads across the country are typically put out to pasture when their prime working days are over, or retrofitted to keep up with modern demands. Another segment of these classic haulers include ones that are set up for restoration, and they command a fair price on the vintage truck market. The demand for these rigs is a mix of nostalgia and the realization that they’re not trucks like these anymore. Regardless of equipment levels, there’s no matching the style of a rig like this 1984 Kenworth K100E here on craigslist with an asking price of $51,000.
If you watch the original Smokey and the Bandit, you’ll get some serious eye candy as it relates to 18-wheelers and other powerhouses of the long-haul community. It also harkens back to a time when there was some grandeur associated with the industry as trucks like this Kenworth were increasingly adding features to increase driver comfort. The sleeper cabs were almost luxurious and increases in ceiling height made it so that even the tallest drivers had room to stand up inside. However, when it comes to dimensions, the seller of this Kenworth notes that the chassis has been stretched to 326 inches.
One of the things that always blows my mind as a total trucking novice is how they know what each and every one of those controls does. The interior of this Kenworth is fairly nice overall, with plenty of leather trim and a handsome woodgrain steering wheel. What’s interesting about those details is to consider whether this truck was part of the “Very Important Trucker,” or VIT program, that Kenworth offered which incorporated a variety of high-end interior features and skylight windows. I don’t see any additional windows in this cab but the other details line up with VIT specs.
The seller notes that the Kenworth has been given some love mechanically, noting that it’s equipped with a “….rebuilt big cam Cummins with only 92K miles.” That mileage is indeed nothing on a diesel-powered rig, and the inline-six big cam was a well-loved unit for both its fuel economy and reliability. Capable of generating upwards of 400 horsepower, these engines were torque monsters and are still sought after today. The seller notes additional improvements include “….new starter, new brakes and brake clutch,” and it sounds like you’ll get a few trophies, too, from its many wins in local truck shows. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the find.
Good morning 1980s. Love the paint and colors on this rig. Lavery you’d get familiar with all the switches and toggles real quick with some seat 💺 time. Good find Mitchell G, thank you.
I second what Stan said, great find, and thank you for wrting up this old cabover Kenworth. The paint scheme and interior definitely has the late ’70s and early ’80s written all over it and I mean that in a positive way. I love it. And a lot of work went into this one. The owner did a beautiful job on it.
And Jeff, thanks for mentioning Smikey and the Bandit too, everyone is always about the Trans Am, and rightfully so, but all the trucks in it as well, especially the star Kenworth.
Sorry… Smokey, not Smikey. Combination of fat thumbs, lack of caffeine and the dreaded time change lol.
Where’s Howard when ya need him. Super nice survivor. Ad says little about drive train or suspension, besides the Big Cam a 13speed, SQHD Rockwell rears and what looks like 8 bag air suspension would be standard. Unfortunetly the long double bunk cabs had a tendency to crack across the dog box as the cab was supported at the very ends. 51k is right about what this rig sold for new.
As one who has admired cars for their distinctive shape and character I’ve also been intrigued as to the unique style and identity of heavy duty trucks. To most onlookers a COE a mearly a box or cube yet we can see brand identity as a passing glance. I believe it points to one of our Chrysler sales training points and the emphasis of the distinctive brand grille.
Each manufacturer has a unique grill that allow for quick brand identification, even from a couple hundred yards. They evolved over time, but keep certain characteristics.
“…has been stretched to…”
need to go other direction for round here – single
screw, ie 6 not 10 wheel tractors (we hada volvo that was just right
Goldie Locks said) for a few decades. Ya get ‘beat up’ by that as well as this
(snub nose) but never needed allota seat time to get our jobs done (Halifax, Toronto, Baltim/DC furthest radius).
Remember when these beautiful snub noses graced the highways? All driving in the right lane except to pass. And complying to the double pump honk signals from kids in backseats of station wagons, smiling and waving as you passed. The 60’s through 80’s was a great time to be young!
Pepperidge Farm remembers
I think this is cool! If you find more old big rigs posting them would be good.I don’t know how to price rigs so I wont try.But i have always wanted to own an old one from the 70s and 80s.
I have always preferred the COE’s. Many miles in a Kenworth K100, Freightshaker and Astro. All long wheelbase 3 axle. I personally don’t think any tractor with wheelbase like this one is complete without a headache rack though. I am not a fan of ‘twice pipes’ but all of my rigs were either day cab or short sleeper so the exhaust from a drivers side stack might not be as wearing this far from the driver. Not to mention the added cost and weight.
Lots of work done with these over the years. Cummins was still the king of the road, even if Caterpillar snuck in the side door for “Smokey And The Bandit.” Cab-Overs were popular back in that time. I worked on lots of them but sure didn’t enjoy it. Conventionals were definitely a lot easier to work on but length laws were still a major obstacle so COEs reigned true.
Back in another life I drove semis and lusted about driving a ” Kenmore ” like that or a Pete. I always drove cab overs but GMC Astros nothing fancy. One did have a 350 ” Cumapart ” 13 speed that somene had turned the fuel pump
before my time in it and it would Boogie down the road pretty dang good. It would run faster than I, as a 22 year old had the testicular fortitude to go even on I-80 in the 70s. After all, in a cab over you’re the first person to eat the wipers. Seems like yesterday.
JoeR
My K100 had a ‘turned up’ 350 Big Cam, 13 spd Eaton and 2 speed rear end…
It would definitely cover some ground when it needed too.
I don’t think I ever worked on one that wasn’t cranked up. Guys used to come into the shop looking for “Coded Idle Plungers” (buttons) so they could crank them up. When I rebuilt a PT pump I always left some space in the throttle shaft to give them a bit more but changing the button so often threw the rest of the pump out of calibration. But it was quite an educational process to convince drivers that the cloud of black smoke was actually detrimental to the performance. Even running them on a dyno couldn’t convince them. But You always did your best to give them what they wanted…
I mostly drove 318 Detroit 13 speeds. Great Mountain Climber indeed. NOT!! Glad I live in the flatlands or all the shifting would have been maddening. The thing about 318s and Detroits in general is if they aren’t leaking oil, they are dry. Like the old Harleys. I’d add half a gallon of oil every other day. 😆
My first experience with the green oil drippers was in a fleet of brigadiers and GMC 9500’s. We topped off the diesel and filled up the oil on a daily basis, dust was NEVER an issue with 85-90 of these on the yard daily! Between kicking back and running backwards, or cold starting on 2 cylinders then 3 then 4, etc there wasn’t a mosquito in miles from that smoke cloud, BUT they would crank when nothing else would and drank down that ether like a drunk drinks wine. We had everything from Naturals to intercooled 6-71 & 6-92’s before we got a series 60 make we were big s*#t in those White GMC’s. that truck just needs a couple Tach-o-graphs mounted on the dash!
The vast majority of the miles I logged was in a GMC 9500 with a 318/13 spd. I think that’s the reason my hearing is shot. Those ol’ “Yamahas” did a lot of work. I sure wouldn’t want one for a long haul though. The “Columbus Vibrator” was always more suited for long distance. My experience of working on all of them showed that one didn’t outlast the other. They all had their demons.
GMC General with a two stroke…enough said!
This was posted after my early morning rants, naturally I’m pretty amazed. If one is into this stuff, aside from FB Marketplace, there aren’t a lot of sites that deal with this. As Stan said, looking at the dash is a bit intimidating, not unlike an aircraft dash, but many gauges are merely a luxury, and bare bones company trucks aren’t near as colorful. Heck, I knew “CornFlakes” ( CF) drivers saying the Freightliner cabovers had an air pressure gauge, a tattletale, and a big red light for any engine issues. The switches are usually clearly marked, some do nothing. Also, (Jim) this has the 80s “mystery” blue ( sometimes black) brake valve that was phased out later to the standard 2 red and yellow type. Not sure what that blue one did, apply the truck parking brake but not release all the air, unlike the yellow or red one?
Unless I missed it, Movin on gets all the thunder, but nobody mentioned BJ and the Bear, who used a similar K100 Aerodyne, a beer hauler from Milwaukee, and the typical Hollywood shenanigans that never really happened in real life. Gorgeous women don’t hang on your fuel tanks, and monkeys are disgusting creatures,,,
anyway, great find, most trucks I drove had a “Cummings” and rarely let me down. If by rare chance something did happen, usually a cobble would get you home, unlike the electrical nightmares in trucks today. Cabovers took a bit more patience.
It’s unclear if a message on the current state of the trucking industry is warranted here, this was an owner operators truck, from a time when O/Os could actually make a go of it. The K100( or Pete 362) were the top of the line. Many traded their old Cornbinder in on one after the IH cemented the deal. I had a good friend that did exactly that, and totaled the KW twice( see poor photo) This was trucking, a solitary job, with practically no intervention from you know who, and shady deals were all around. It’s why the “chain-drive” wallet was so popular, many deals were made in cash. I took the company route for almost 25 years, then foolishly listened to that good friend, and bought my own.
Today, it is one of the most over-regulated businesses and it’s not 1984 anymore, well, maybe for the movies sake, but trucking with this truck will present some challenges, and don’t kid yourself, pretty soon, ALL trucks will need an ELD of some sort for any commercial hauling. A rather expensive toy, but if I can make a prediction, I think the days of the renegade fly by night trucker will come again, as companies that can’t fill the seats, will turn to other methods,,,sound familiar old timers?? And this would be the truck to do that with. Thanks all.
Wondered where you got off to to let this one go by, thought I was gonna have to do a welfare check on you!
IDK. Howard was on here earlier.
The case of the dissappering truck driver!
Hey Jim, still having trouble with comments and sick of f’ing with it. Fact is, this may be the last for a spell.
No problem, I know where to find you.
This rig would fit in nicely on “Ice Road Truckers”
Located in Hammonton, NJ
Not far from the drag strip at Atco.
With this one, you’re the first one at the accident. Still like it though.
If 5th wheel were removed and a class A camper were added would a CDL still be required ??
Not with RV plates. It’ll be under 26000 lbs.