RoadwayR

Bright Drop was a good idea and GM learned a lot with the effort, but without government incentives there isn't much of a business case for the vehicle at present. When things change Bright Drop could come back in a second if need be. Time will tell... I think it's good that Mary Barra and GM will dump a program that doesn't make sense. The GM of old would never do that.

That's not quite correct. The light duty 10 speed automatics (GM 10L80, Ford 10R80 and 10R100) are indeed very similar and do share some parts, though each is manufactured by their respective companies. Some parts actually have both GM and Ford part numbers on them. Those transmission were jointly developed by GM and Ford. An insider told me, FWIW, that those transmissions are actually derivitives of GM's 8 speed 8L90 with an extra gear! Maybe so... The heavy duty 10 speed automatics are where things get a bit different. The Ford 10R140 is basically a simple scale-up of the GM/Ford JV light duty transmission. Though very few parts interchange, it works exactly the same way. GM originally considered doing the same thing with their HD 10 speed, but instead decided to go their own way with the 10L1000. The 10L1000 was done by Hydra-Matic. While there are some similarities between the 10R140 and 10L1000, there are many differences. Gear ratios are different, the 10L1000 usually doesn't start in 1st., no internal parts interchange, and some internal components are in different locations. In addition, the torque converters are completely different, and for some reason while the GM transmission fluid temp. typically runs at around 160-180 degrees even when towing, the Ford will top 220 degrees in normal driving! The 10L1000 is a Hydra-Matic, but Allison did some design consultation and verification on it, and GM paid Allison a royalty to stick their badge on it. The royalty agreement runs until 2026, and my understanding is GM doesn't want to pay Allison anymore for a transmission that is their own. Now we can argue which one is better, the GM 10L1000 or Ford 10R140!

Here's one of ours, I think it was an '82 or '83. You can see the original grille opening was behind the new stainless grille:

GM experimented with Allison-manufactured gas turbine engines in some Titan 90 and Astro 95 trucks in the early 70's. Trucks so equipped often had larger grilles that served as air intakes for the turbine engine. This old Titan 90 being parted out appears to have the turbine grille on it. Wonder what the story is: https://candhtruck.com/trucks/6203 No connection to seller.

A little sad to see (and I certainly don't want to see anyone loose their jobs over the decision) but I think it shows that GM is now willing to make sound but difficult business decisions, unlike they were in the past. While the Bright Drop van was good, the market for the vehicle never fully materialized and rapidly changing regulations (EV mandates and incentives) made the outlook for the Bright Drop very questionable. It's quite possible the program could be ressurected in the future in one form or another depending on market conditions. Who knows, maybe in the meantime GM could spend some of that Bright Drop capital on updating the ancient Savanna/Express vans!

Ram is about to get hit hard by the tariffs, all the 4500/5500 models are Mexican imports.

https://www.fleetowner.com/equipment/article/55320900/isuzu-breaks-ground-on-280-million-south-carolina-manufacturing-facility Isuzu admits the move was more in response to increasing production efficiency but will allow them to be better positioned in response to tariffs.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2025/09/chevy-lcf-6500-and-7500-may-soon-offer-a-gasoline-engine/

At this point I would love to hear it run (again) too!

I am screwing around with this at the moment:

I wonder if International will offer the Octane in the MV series: https://www.icbus.com/internal-combustion-engine

GMC made the 702 V-12 from '60 to '65, it was replaced by the 637 V-8 in '66. I have seen a few 637's, mostly in fire apparatus. There was also a very rare Toro-Flow diesel 637 V-8 which I have only seen in boats.

Right. I looked it up, the Mack's with EN-414 gasoline engines (Chrysler 413 industrial) were the 410 series. There was an R, DM, and MB 410.

Yeah, maybe they could have bird-dogged all those Sterling dealers when that circus left town. Possibly sell some trucks through CaseNH dealers too. Plenty of possibilities.

When Fred Diaz was running Ram back in the FCA days, he wanted to develop Ram into a full line producer of commercial trucks by making Iveco trucks available in North America. I thought it was a great plan, but Exor spun Iveco and Case NewHolland off and Diaz left for Nissan. All Ram ever got was the Fiat Dublo and Ducato, the excellent Daily stayed with Iveco. I don't think anyone at the train wreck known as Stellantis knows what a commercial vehicle is. Anyway, it's fun to imagine what a big Iveco would have looked like with a Ram hood ornament on it! I hear you on the lament that the Italians have just given away their only manufacturer of heavy trucks. Tata has done wonders with Land Rover and Iveco fits well into their existing commercial vehicle operations. Exor, the holding company that represents the legacy of the Angelli (Fiat) family, is in the process of 'de-industrializing', substantially reducing their holdings in manufacturing. Their robotic manufacturing operation Comau and parts giant Magneti Marelli have already been sold, and holdings in Ferrari reduced. With Iveco sold off that only leaves CNH and FPT. Anyone have Manhindra's phone number?