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GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak

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jduffy13
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
Good riddance to such automotive junk.

Been nice knowing you.
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MushyHeirloom
06/08/09

@jduffy13: Too bad they were neither automotive nor junk.
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Uncle Bo
06/08/09

@jduffy13:

Spend a year driving around the country in a normally-suspended, foam-seatted 1-ton dually pulling a 30+ foot trailer, and you will quickly develop the deep desire to trade up to a Kodiak with its air seat package, 75 gallon fuel capacity and big rig seating position.

Decked out duallies are nice and all unless you're doing 3000 miles a month. At that point you'll happily trade heated leather seats and navi for a real serious truck interior and suspension.
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Buckster
06/08/09

@Uncle Bo, piston forger:

[www.monroetruck.com]
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Uncle Bo
06/08/09

@Buckster is Back and Gone Again:

I took my CDL drivers test in a Monroe truck. Not quite the same swanky interior or bangin stereo, but it had badass flame paint job. Drove like a Cadillac while pulling 12,000 lbs.
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Mad_Science
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
Please tell me this means fewer tow trucks.

That would make my day.
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jdoubleh
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
I once bottomed out the front suspension on a Kodiak 2.5T- right after I launched it 6 feet into the air. Best hoonage ever, but painful. Happened on a remote dirt road on a military base in the South (which I shall not name). It was a matter of to be stuck or to be unstuck. I was alone, so fortunately / unfortunately there were no witnesses.

To avoid a long walk and alot of explaining required a running start at a washout on an up-slope. There was no other way out.

I hit the washout at about 20 miles an hour. I remember three distinct impacts- the front wheels hitting the washout and launching into the air, then hitting the ground after returning to earth, then something hitting me in the face which felt like a baseball bat. The rear wheels made it as well but I'd lost some momentum so the impact wasn't as severe- either that or I was unconscious at that point, I don't know. In any case, the truck made it and actually fared much better than I did. I was bruised for weeks from the seat belt, and had a nice shiner from what turned out to be a "brick" radio that flew off the dash and punched me in the face. There was rubber from the tires on the underside of the fenders, and the right alignment was off about 20 degrees, but other than that, the truck was fine. I could see where the suspension bumpers had contacted the frame.
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MushyHeirloom
06/08/09

@jdoubleh, aberration roulante: I was alone, so fortunately / unfortunately there were no witnesses.

And no one to hold your beer.
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How Wankelin' Got His Sig Back
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
Okay, I'm confused. What, exactly, is the reason to keep GMC now that they don't actually sell anything BUT rebadged Chryslers? I mean, didn't they kill Pontiac because it crowded the market segment? How, again, does this NOT do that?

Oh, right, because we're building a leaner Chrysler. I forgot.

Can we please, PLEASE stop letting retarded five year olds run the board? Maybe? Possibly?

Wankelin'
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Alphamazing
06/08/09

@How Wankelin' Got His Sig Back: GMC... rebadged Chryslers... leaner Chrysler?

Huh?
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nosirrahg
06/08/09

@Alphamazing: It's like when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.
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LoganSix
06/08/09

@nosirrahg: Forget it, he's rolling.
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JC Whitless
06/08/09

@LoganSix: THEY TOOK THE BAR
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CaptMatt15 loves the Zoom-Zoom
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
Medium Duty?

I guess 18 wheelers are heavy duty, but for anything a "normal" person might be doing I think the TopKick/Kodiak are far from "medium" duty
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beercheck
06/08/09

@CaptMatt15: Box trucks and RVs used those chassis.
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engineerd
06/08/09

@CaptMatt15: These aren't for "normal" people, if by that you mean your average Joe Homeowner. These are between pickup trucks and semi-tractors, and fill a niche for companies that need to haul more cargo than a pickup truck (even a heavy duty one like an F350) can handle, but don't need to be hauling a 53' trailer around. Also, IIRC, there are no special licensing requirements as long as you keep the weight down. Semi-tractors require a CDL.

I worked at a cabinet manufacturer in college and we had a Kodiak. It was the perfect size for us because we could load an entire shipment into it and tow the forklift on commercial jobs.
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CaptMatt15 loves the Zoom-Zoom
06/08/09

@engineerd: Well stopping production of the useful variants is just dumb... but the problem is for most of us out here when the TopKick and Kodiak are talked about it makes me think about the trucks like the picture on this post, the silly pickup-esq ones
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engineerd
06/08/09

@CaptMatt15: "Well stopping production of the useful variants is just dumb..."

Welcome to GM product planning.
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MushyHeirloom
06/08/09

@engineerd: Where the G8 dies and the Impala survives.
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MushyHeirloom
06/08/09

@Floozy Plushbroom will eat 60 figs: Would you like fries with that?
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Jo Schmo
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
Luckily enough Ironside has a soft fleshy underside allowing GM to gut it and climb inside to ride out the storm.
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Maxx Cracker
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
Damn! I had narrowed my potential car purchases to either a Top Kick or an Aveo. Guess I know what to buy now.
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MushyHeirloom
06/08/09

@Maxx Cracker: Hey, look, a Colorado! Now with the worst traits of both!
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Leeeeena the Jalopchick
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
Sorry to go off-topic, but is it just my computer/browser, or does it seem like Bloodcopy disabled comments? I can't believe they're still cross-posting here after we raked 'em over the coals.
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engineerd
06/08/09

@Leeeeena, a Jalopchick: I noticed that too.

I also like how everything is by "Bloodcopy Staff". It's pretty bad when nobody wants their name associated with it.
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combat chuck
06/08/09

@Leeeeena, a Jalopchick: I don't know about disabling comments, but their latest crosspost seems to have eaten the post about Mulally's interview with Matt Lauer, which appeared briefly and then poof!, before I got a chance to insert my snarky remark.
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leavethegun-takethecannoli
06/08/09

@Leeeeena, a Jalopchick: I think I'm banned. I offered them valuable instructions the other day, but I think they saw it as an insult.

What a corny site.
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TwinTurbo Gokart
06/08/09

@leavethegun-takethecannoli:
Maybe I'm just an idiot, but is there a way to pose on the other Gawker sites with this account?
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leavethegun-takethecannoli
06/08/09

@TwinTurbo Gokart: You're not an idiot. You simply enter your password and username in the login box. It will admit you to any Gawker site.
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beercheck
06/08/09

@Leeeeena, a Jalopchick: I suspect it's just a nibbles fart, but wouldn't it be a cool victory if they now intentionally disable comments only for Jalopnik cross-posts?
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MushyHeirloom
06/08/09

@Leeeeena, a Jalopchick: They did on this cross-post.

I wouldn't have minded so much if it had SOMETHING to do with FUCKING CARS. Or fucking. Or cars.
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pauljones
06/08/09

@beercheck: I'm just not even getting involved with Bloodcopy.

I can smell the banhammer/de-star bait from here. It's just not even worth it.
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.357
06/08/09

@pauljones: It's so worth it.
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leavethegun-takethecannoli
06/08/09

@pauljones: F*ck it- I don't have a star anyway.
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engineerd
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
The original press release included some lyrics from Metallica:

Claustrophobic

Shut down the Topkick

Truck explosive

Reaching for that gin

Feel thy name extermination

Desacrating, Hail of Fire

So we cross that line

Into the crypt

Total eclipse

Suffer unto my Carpocalypse!
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bonestock94
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
I never saw a lot of these things around, in commercial or huge redneck mobile form.
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Alphamazing
06/08/09

@bonestock94: Rednecks don't buy these. Rich suburbanites do.
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bonestock94
06/08/09

@Alphamazing:

Rich rednecks?
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Six Flags Over Tomsk
06/08/09

@bonestock94: Out here, the proper term is 909er.

[www.urbandictionary.com]
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pauljones
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
I guess that's good news for International Harvester. They have some good trucks, and with GM's offerings out of the way, they stand to gain a much bigger market share.

Although, I just don't understand why they didn't keep the Topkick and turn GMC into a commercial truck brand.
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elwood
06/08/09

@pauljones: Case-IH makes ag equipment. International Navistar makes trucks. International Harvester no longer exists as an independent company.
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pauljones
06/08/09

@elwood: But the trucks are still badged as International Harvesters, therefore I refer to them as such to avoid confusion.
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Racin_G73 - dirt track legend (some day ... maybe)
06/08/09

@pauljones: Close... they dropped the 'Harvester' portion when they sold off the ag division.

The truck and engine divisions are now known as 'International Truck and Engine Co.' or 'ITEC' for short.

Check out the International LoneStar, ProStar, etc. I think the Medium Duty model is called the 'DuraStar'.
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pauljones
06/08/09

@racin_g73: I stand corrected.
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elwood
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
Meh. The medium-duty truck market will get along fine with the likes of Sterling and International. There's a ton of construction projects going on in Madison right now, and I never saw hardly any Chevy or GMC trucks working on them either.
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PowerTryp, Starless wonder.
06/08/09

@elwood: Umm Sterling is shutting its doors.
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UDMan
06/08/09

@elwood: Sterling was just shut down, as other have said, and Isuzu Medium Duty is still here, only with the small NPR, NQR, and NRR small Cab Forwards. Mitsubishi Fuso have also stated they are getting out of the larger Medium Duty Market, to concentrate on small Cab Forwards. Ford is about to discontinue their small Cab Forwards.

UD Trucks? We're all set to receive Volvo Power (Big Six Cylinder, Direct Injection, Turbo Diesels) With SCR (read urea) technology. Way for a market segment to collapse....
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MushyHeirloom
06/08/09

@PowerTryp: Yeah, I was gonna say. "Sterling? You mean Fordge?"
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Tucker589 is Hoarding James Dean's 550 Spyder
06/08/09

In reply to GM Kills Ironhide, Ceases Production Of TopKick, Kodiak
HOW WILL ROSIE O'DONNELL BE ABLE TO BE TRANSPORTED NOW!? THE FORKLIFT GIVES HER BEDSORES!!
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baldy_pm
06/08/09

@Tucker589: Maybe she should call Michael Moore and find out how he gets his fat @ss around...
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Unregular
06/08/09

@baldy_pm:

my comment > your comment.

also: sun rose... east.
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baldy_pm
06/08/09

@Unregular: Your comment is false. Limbaugh is recently down to 230 lbs.

/irrelevant pissing match
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Unregular
06/08/09

@baldy_pm: don't see how that makes is "false".

what are you down to?
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baldy_pm
06/08/09

@Unregular: If you are implying that Limbaugh = me, then thank you for the compliment.

You and I are to be forever at odds, sir. For now, I live in a country that lets me have my opinion, and I am free to pursue my goals, however far fetched they may be. I will never let anyone change that.
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leavethegun-takethecannoli
06/08/09

@Tucker589: Rosie O'Donnell could never fit in a Topkick.

She needs one of those mining dump trucks, and probably the steam shovel to push her off of the side of a cliff and into the dump truck, because a piece of equipment would need to be able to overcome the gravitational pull of a black hole to pick her up.
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Unregular
06/08/09

@baldy_pm: that all may be true, but doesn't change the fact that forever and heretoforth...

my comment > your comment.
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beercheck
06/08/09

@Unregular: Odd how you keep saying Limbaugh > Moore.
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