Test Drive: GMC General 

I started out in a 1983 GMC Astro with an 8V92 Silver 400,a 13 speed, 2-60 air conditioning, simple times and miss the good ol days and the ol iron. Thank You for the memories. Hate the way the industry has gone and how 4 wheelers are allowed to brake check us it ain't right.

Nothing better than that Detroit sound 👊🏻

Ben- your truck sounds as good as it looks! 2-stroke power!

Man, you can't beat the sound of a 2 stroke!! 😍

I miss seeing the old trucks from back in the day like that. They all had personalities to me. Now everything that you see running around out there are cookie cutter clones.good stuff

That General is beautiful.

2nd time around, with a lesson from the helper, you got it right. But I'm old school, I prefer the clutch .

Started out in a brigadier and then a General. Had a board to sleep across the seats on my runs. Man, the trucking memories this video brought back.

Wow now that's trucking! Never fall a sleep with that purrrring. Tnx's 73

What a nice job on the interior, especially the dash. He's got a beautiful classic old school truck! Great video Mike. Really appreciate your time you take to do these videos.

My compliments to the New England Truckers. By far the most pride in ownership of trucks anywhere. The classics look as good as the day they were new.

not too many 2 stroke detroits floating around boston anymore love the sound high rev and in a GMC General is even better

Brings back some good memories

Great vid, always loved the look of the general and the sound of 2 stroke detroits, proper job.

"This country wasn't built with 379 Peterbilts"

Many years ago I ran a General with a Screamin' Jimmy hauling gravel. One of the other drivers also had a General. He was racing his boss to a truck stop, early in the morning before the sun came up. Stopped at a traffic light. As soon as the light changed he goosed it. He felt a little bump, and thought it was the empty trailer hitting a pot hole, but then a little Toyota shot out the front. No damage, but we bugged him about that for a long time. He blamed it on the fact that the hood is so long and high. I think he had his seat too low. LOL.

That truck is awsome love it dad had one with dump on think it was 2 axel in rear he had it for years when i was growning up and 2 ih dumps that where nice

I remember when they came out it was GMC top of the line

OMG. I'd use that for a grocery getter. Or imagine picking up your teenage son at school in one.

Love those old Sing A Songs !!!

Those Generals are among my Favorites. Some Day I'm going to own one

Absolutley beautiful!!

I’d love to see him drive a Brockway truck. With a 12V71 Detroit and shift those gears and hear the sound of that engine

Great video! Love the look of those Generals!

Love that 2 stroke sound. Drove an M series International with a 6-71 and later GMC 9500’s with 6-71

I'd love to do a custom GMC build. Take the cab, hood, and a 8V92 paired with a late model Kenworth frame. AG400L rear suspension with disk brakes, and AG130 air ride front. 13 speed DD, 3.08 rears. 82 inch Stratosphere Ultra High Roof from a late model Western Star. 265 length. Rear window in the sleeper for right hand back in ease. Custom hand built dash with a gauge for everything known to man. Harley Davidson Sunglow Red paint.. maybe a two tone graphic of some kind with gun metal gray. 24.5 Dura Bright Alcos all around. It'll be some serious metal work to blend in the sleeper, but doable. Engine would be truck color with stainless hardware, chrome piping and duck work. Large Aircraft style side scoops on the hood for air intakes with internal inertial water separator. Air starter, and equipped with Tri-Pak with air compressor. AC/Heat by vintage air in the cab, and second unit for the sleeper. Lights.. oh so many lights.. LED. 4 battery box on pax side, tool box step on driver.. all polished stainless. True Dual exhaust, but glass packed and baffled for a bear growl (and to keep the man at bay when that Jake comes on). Should only take a couple days once the parts are all in. :)

We ran them in woods for years down south but a rich man bought them all and haul away u down see them any more running kw. W900l now u did good have great day

Good to hear from you, it's been awhile 😎😎😎😎🥳🥳🥳🥳

Beautiful truck trailers GMC

Badass ride

Very cool👍

Pretty sure you got my Dually in one of the shots when you were going in to open the gate to drop the trailer. It was only for a second. But hey, it got it’s one second of fame. 😂

SO COOL!!

Love it! My family had a fleet of GMC tractors with Detroit Diesels. I guess that came from my grandfather having been a former GM employee. Now days I get to play with two strokes which are many times the side of this. They are GM-EMD locomotives. We just got some new 4000 hp two strokes. I love running them.

Love it 👍

I broke out on in line 6 Detroit, when I went to oilfield construction, my last truck was a W900 limited edition kenworth, studio sleeper, 725 hp kitten, 18sp and 373 rear gears , cut back to 98mph

Yep . Heartbeat 🤩

Only I can say* pure double assassin's#1👹

I haul fuel around Boston area and into NH. I see you guys all the time. Love seeing Bens trucks. Also love seeing the Boston truckers W-9. Hope you had fun in General

That’s a nice truck!

👍👍..........saw Darin Stephen's old classic last week......boy, was it looking rough......so sad......he kept that truck looking brand new ALL the time

There you go

i love the truck

Take 2…yea buddy 👍👍

Mike you were having to much fun! Those weren't bad trucks back in the day

She sounds good

Detroit Diesel Power!!! 💪💪💨💨💨

That guy can’t shift for love nor money.

i love them old trucks. they just dont glide right into gear like these new ones. you gotta put some umphh into it

You lucky bastard! LOL

Nice

Damn that dude is rough on the gears. He ain’t floating, he’s forcing.

Nice old two stroke

Always drive a screaming Jimmy completely. So when you shift it up at 2400. Back off and then put it back up to two or more. And just let her keep going cuz those Jimmy's are made to be wound up to Red line and ran all the way

The sound of the 2-stroke Detroit is great! My friend taught me in an International coe with an 8V71 318 h.p. My cousin let me drive the Transtar 2 he was driving with an 8V71T. After buying a Freightliner coe w/ my friend , I got sick and wasn't allowed to drive. My days of wanting to drive went out the door. I had a job but also wanted to own a truck. I still got to ride shotgun once in awhile. Does anyone know how the GM or GMC diesel got the name Detroit? International was a big purchaser of (GMC)diesels and they were a competitor co. A GM in an International? Egad! They coined the name Detroit from where they were made, Detroit,Michigan. Does anyone remember when Peterbilt and Kenworth used to paint all engines white , no matter what make, and I-H painted all engines red ? Yes to the locomotive man 2 - stroke EMD'S but GM changed them to 4- cycle before selling the division.

Detroit power baby

Now that's how you do it😎😎😎😎

I've heard that about the cabs being the same as an Astro before, but I don't think that's true. I have a Chevrolet Bison and the cabs aren't wide enough to be on a cab over

What's up Mike? Can't drive a real trck? LOL Love those Generals That;s a nice looking truck & still working hard

There is a God.

Really cool video! What does the over mean in 15 speed over? And what was it about a switch on the Dash for the mack 12 speed? You need to wind the Detroit up!! Loved it

The greatest motor music in the world is a 2 stroke Detroit. How about using the clutch when you change the gears. That's what it's there for. If they didn't want you to use it they would have put an automatic in it.

Nice shifting mike

Greetings from the Ohio Porters. Seeing this again. That was one clean and sweet looking GMC General. They were a little odd...you could use the cab on a cabover setup (with some modes) or conventional. And yes, I’ve driven one. I had the chance to buy it from a farmer here in Ohio, but someone offered him more money and he took it. I missed out. That dash seemed a little different...was it original or have any mods to it? It sure didn’t seem to rattle either. Does he still have it. He mentioned that it would be for sale soon. Even for a day cab it was nice. I love those old rigs...Lots of style and character! 🥰🤩😎🧐 I found some info on him...he has 2 of these Generals. One has Cummins on the hood. You drove the other...did it have a Detroit? It sure sounded like it.

I saw the Mack pinnacle today at Keating in Lunenburg today asked where you were on the CB

not to sure but i thought i saw a ben center truck rolling thru claremont nh recently.could be wrong tho.

Never driven two strokes.. but they seems to run quiter at higher rpms, but yea when you are only used to high torque low rpms it must require some practice to drive these old beats.

No def on that truck perfect findem grind em

That ain’t nothin wrong with a little bump and grind

8v92? Does the 15spd have 5 below?

Ok now. How could you go from a General to a Volvo?!?! I can’t get that one. Love the truck! Good shifting though. 🤩 Did ya sell it?

Wish I had one of these can find em

Right after that little misshift episode….I would’ve told you pull over get out slam the door closed on your hand and then get back in and drive… lolll these things like to be driven “mean”…. Btw.. how much does the def tank hold?

Old 238's used to demand 21:50rpm up and 18:50 down shift,,,2 speed splitter button would shame you sometimes, Lol, 😆

Senter is 5 minutes from my house, too bad you dont get out this way too often

Damm I wish it was a cat r Cummins

It's not the big hole ! ITS PUNTIN THE TRASH ON THE DASH HOLE

Gosh that likes to be drove hard

8v-71T or 8v-92t ?

15 speed overdrive. Pity you didn't come up through deep reduction as well to show how it's done.

Bat shifter😂🤣

I put 2.5 million million miles in one of these beauties

It's not a Cat ,you have to run it out......rookie, someone once told me long ago that the best way to get ready for a day of Detroit diesel operating is to slam your hand in the door.....

5 star? Or Bison?

They use this engine sound in the new movie Ice Road, for the new trucks! stupid Hollywood!

Think Ben has 3 or 4 now

Drive it like you stole it

Drip troit diesel lol

when he said its a Astro without the hood............I cringed......no its not.....come on man!!!!

Seatbelts, click or ticket 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🤪🤪🤪

When you see pretty girls with big rigs you never ever see them doing gear shifts now I know why automatic that would take the joy out of being a real trucker cause a automatic ain't driving a big rig all your doing is steering