A Little GMC V-6 Trivia

[BobBray]

Of course we all know that the GMC V-6 engine family was used in GMC trucks from 1960 to 1974, and Chevy trucks from 1966 to 1974. But, did you know there was another truck manufacturer that used the V-6 for a short time? The truck manufacturer was White Motors, and the offered the 478M in their model C4364 in 1973-74. White had manufactured their own gasoline engines for many years, but in 1972 sold off their Diamond-Reo truck division and with it the plant where White gasoline engines were made. With no 'in house' gasoline engine White used the GMC V-6 and a strange engine known as the 'Giesel', which was a Cummins V-8 diesel converted to run on gasoline.Here is the opertor's manual for a GMC poowered White:

[George Bongert]

Of course we all know that the GMC V-6 engine family was used in GMC trucks from 1960 to 1974, and Chevy trucks from 1966 to 1974. But, did you know there was another truck manufacturer that used the V-6 for a short time? The truck manufacturer was White Motors, and the offered the 478M in their model C4364 in 1973-74. White had manufactured their own gasoline engines for many years, but in 1972 sold off their Diamond-Reo truck division and with it the plant where White gasoline engines were made. With no 'in house' gasoline engine White used the GMC V-6 and a strange engine known as the 'Giesel', which was a Cummins V-8 diesel converted to run on gasoline.Here is the opertor's manual for a GMC poowered White:

Interesting bit of GMC trivia. Anyone who owns one of these White trucks equipped with the GMC 478M engine has a valuable piece of GMC and White truck history. Thanks for posting!

[FetchMeAPepsi]

I never heard of White trucks before!
From Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Motor_Company


Car Model from 1906

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It all started when Mr White (not the Meth teacher...), who owned a sewing maching company, bought a newfangled steam powered car and it would break down all the time due to the way the boiler was designed.

His boy said, "There has to be a better way!" and designed a new boiler. Patented it, and offered it to a locomotive company.

Meanwhile, him and his brother started tinkering with the design in the corner of the sewing machine plant. They ended up making 50 cars with the new design and testing them with friends and family for a year.
Four years later they had sold enough to become a nuisance for the sewing machine factory and Dad said, "Take your newfangled au-to-mo beele and get yourself a warehouse of your own, boys!" So they did.

Three years after that one of those boy's cars (they looked like the Beverly Hilbillies truck) made it to the white house stables. It was driven behind Teddy Rosevelt's buggy by his Secret Service team.

Taft bought one too and it was one of his favorite vehicles because he could make it "burst steam" and jet off away from the paparazzi. Haha!

They built almost 10k steam cars in total before moving to gas powered.

It's said that a White steam car was what burned up Jay Leno too, but that was a gas operated vehicle so I don't know how true that is.

The boy that started all this got really interested in tractors after they swapped to gas cars, and left to pursue a tractor company.

During the depression they joined up with Studebaker to make ends meet, then separated later, and started selling other brands along with White trucks. They ceased making cars altogether, and only made light duty through semi trucks.

White Semi Truck

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Sales dropped during the 1960s as cars became cool and trucks were for work, and White tried merging with White Consolidated Industries, the original company that once made sewing machines, however the federal government blocked the deal.

Later the government changed their mind as the company stumbled with the rise of unions, and approved a merger with White Consolidated, which feared being hurt by White's troubles. This is when they reached out to GMC to use the 478. White Trucks didn't offer a light duty truck at this time and suffered from the lack of variety.

Sadly by 1980, White was insolvent, filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Volvo acquired most of the assets of the company in 1981, while two energy-related companies - Bow Valley Resource Services and NovaCorp - purchased the Canadian assets, including the Kelowna, British Columbia plant, and the Western Star nameplate and product range.[40]


Volvo created the Volvo White Truck Corporation which continued making White trucks.

In 1988, Volvo created a new brand called WhiteGMC, which was the result of a merger with General Motors. The WhiteGMC brand would last until 1996. Following the discontinuation of the brand, Volvo would continue making trucks under Volvo and Autocar nameplates.

In 1991 AGCO bought White Farm Equipment from TIC.

In 2001, White Farm Equipment would stop making tractors and only make planters.

In 2021, White Farm Equipment was discontinued by AGCO which would end the White brand entirely. :(

[lizziemeister'sV6]

Here in Iowa there was a local dealership that sold "White - GMC - Freightliner trucks". I believe that Freightliner sold out to White some years back and now not sure who the White heavy truck line is supported by. Freightliner trucks back in the day were known as "Freightshakers" by OTR drivers.

[Jim A]

A friend bought a new White Freightliner about 1975 and he and his wife ended up driving it a couple of million miles. I rode with him for a few of those.
I've never been real sure of the complicated relationship between White and Freightliner.