When was the CLT-Series introduced?
Did the CLT-Series replace the W-Series?

 

I guess you would say the CLT replaced the W and H series
The W replaced the H in '66 I believe
The CL series lived from '78 to '91

FWIW the W series used the same cab as the Dodge W series truck

 

First truck I ever drove was a CLT when they first came out in late 77. I was 12 years old driving around the lot of my father's dealership. Scared the heck out of me with the air ride cab when I hit the brakes thinking it was going to tip over.

 

Just had one of those in the dealer where I work this morning. Company that owns it had it stored in a warehouse for several years. They are moving and want to put it back into service as a yard truck. It's got an 8V-92 Detroit with a 10 speed. The shop foreman was driving it around the lot grinning like the village idiot. He's got a love affair with those old 2 stroke engines.


CLT = 2 story Ford.

 

The W series Ford cabs looked a lot like the Dodge COE's but nothing, and I do mean nothing will interchange. Sit them side by side and you will see lots of differences. I use to own a W series and traded it for a CLT in 79. Since we are on the subject of CLT's, here is a picture of our 79 CLT.

 

Seems funny the ford cabovers never caught on.IH probly sold more @ 100 to 1.GMC even sold more

 

I found these two pictures of a Ford and a Dodge taken from the same angle, you can see the differences.

 

Did you ever bring that truck into the Ford shop in Memphis?

 

Yes, I did, if I remember correctly I had a U joint going bad in it. Is it the truck you remember or the Chromalloy trailer?

 

I remember the truck. You didn't see too many double sleeper CLT's. I just traveled to Memphis to visit my parents. My father who owned the dealership remembers it too.

 

Its a small world. You jogged my memory when you ask the question. After some thought it came to me. I had made a delivery to the northeast side of Memphis. On my way to Memphis across Arkansas there was a newly paved section on I 40 that was very smooth. It was while driving on and during that part of the trip I started to feel a very slight vibration. The next morning while I they were unloading the trailer I put on my coveralls and crawled under the truck and started checking U joints. Sure enough I found one that had a little slack in it. As soon as I was unloaded I went straight to the Ford truck dealer to have it replaced. The truck was still under warranty at the time and the shop manager told me if the U joint died from lack of grease it would be on my dollar, if other wise it would be covered under warranty. When the mechanic got it off, he brought it to me and said it would be on their dollar as the grease passage to one of the four bearing cups was not drilled all the way through.

 

I don't think there is a smooth section of 40 in Arkansas anymore.

 

I think just about anyone that has been on it in the last ten years will agree with you on that.

 

Was the dealership a combination passenger car-light truck-medium/heavy truck dealer, or was it a dedicated medium/heavy truck dealer?
Somebody tells me that both Ford, GM with their medium busniess and their heavy busniess that got sold to White/Volvo, and Chrysler with the Dodge medium/heavy duties were always sold under the same roof as a passenger car or light truck, that the same salesperson that sold a customer either a passenger car or light truck sold a medium/heavy duty, and that the passenger car/light truck salesperson had little or no experience regarding the needs of a busniess consumer for a medium/heavy duty, or a school bus chassis. This same person thinks that because of the "whimsical" late 20th century and 21st century ways of Freightliner, Peterbuilt, and Kenworth being their "core busniess"; that the salespeople at these dealers today only have experience regarding the needs of a busniess consumer for a medium/heavy duty, or a school bus chassis. This same person also never liked it when any busniess diverted into ventures other than what he refers to as their "core busniess"; i.e; when GM made refrigerators under their former Frigidaire division, when Ford made refrigerators, and when Chrysler made refrigerators under their former Airtemp/Honeywell division.
Do I agree with this person? No. And the moral of my story is that I think Ford's medium/heavy busniess was always here to stay; and that they should have never sold it to Freightliner to become Sterling in the first place.
I do know that it used to always be the case with GMC dealers where they had to carry light trucks, and medium/heavy trucks under one roof, and also service the school bus chassis and the GM P-chassis that was later sold to Workhorse; under one roof. My father bought a brand new 1973 K5 Jimmy from a GMC dealer when this used to be the case.
I also know this used to be the case with International Harvester before it became Navistar; where they had to carry light trucks, medium/heacy trucks, farm equipment, construction equipment, and Cub Cadet lawn equipment lawn equipment under one roof, and also service their school bus chassis under the same roof.

 

Not really the case with IH.There were light and medium truck dealers and heavy truck dealers.Best I recall the light/medium truck dealers could only sell trucks as large as an 1850 series

There were also Ford and GMC dealers that only sold medium/heavy trucks