I remember being a kid and wanting to be a truck driver! In fact, I used to play on my grandpa's, lawn tractor! And pretnd I was a truck driver! Loved shows like Bj and the Bear, Moving On etc. And of course, movies like Smokey And The Bandit! White Line Fever and Convoy! As well as others! Of course I'm not a Truck Driver, lol! But I loved the good ole days!
I grew up wanting to be like BJ and got me a Kenworth and a Chimpanzee. I never realized how strong Chimps are and he kicked my a*s at a truck stop for not getting him a banana. I told him, they didn't have any bananas, but he didn't buy my story. I got a broken pinky finger and a few knots on my head.
I loved this show as a kid! It was right up there with The Dukes of Hazard. I can't believe how young the actor looks. He looks better than I do and I'm a lot younger!
I actually have that video it's called Robb and the bear the guy who restored the truck also has the truck from duel along with the valiant… And the truck for moving on which they used to get the reefer trailer that was going to become the restored BJ and the bear trailer… Also on the truck they found a steel plate with the names of some of the people who built the truck at the Kenworth plant
from the story of the dedicated restoration of the last known remaining truck (kudos!) to the inclusion of the anti-trafficing info this is a particularly good episode! thanks!
You missed the fourth one that was used in the pilot episode/ movie. This one was a base k series not a Areodyn version. It is often over looked but it’s the original truck that was BJ owned and drove. In the pilot/movie it was destroyed and the one that most people are familiar with is the replacement truck that he was rewarded with.
Great video as usual! Your research skills are amazing! I have a hard time finding stuff I'm looking for on the Interwebs, and you come up with such diamonds and gold nuggets of info about the vehicles you are showcasing! You got THE TOUCH, my brother! Have a great weekend and I'm looking forward to your next RUclips gem! 👍
Really enjoy these videos I too watched this show as a kid and was a huge fan and yet as the other comments have said strangely I can't really remember the episodes?
Like the ‘60s Barris Batmobile, who knows how many there “really” were. The official count is 3. I seem to remember that at the height of its popularity it made an awfully lot of appearances at various shows and parades. So many, in fact, it seems implausible that there was only 1 hero truck.
@@CarStarz42 the BJ trucks were painted in a standard KW graphics pattern that was available to anyone. I remember seeing other trucks on the road back then with the same colors and the same pattern with other colors. So it's very possible that there were others just used for promotion.
Very cool video about the trailer truck 🚛 used in the TV show B.J.& The Bear . Didn't you just do a similar video with the same molded truck from a different movie or show talking about The K100 ?.
I know the guy that owns the original pilot truck in Texas. K100 flat top small bunk. Still has the yellow paint. He got lucky and bought off Craigslist for $4k.
Wild BJ and the Bear fact #11 - the theme song was rewritten and used in the UK’s Max and Paddy ‘Road to Nowhere’ sitcom with Peter Kay and Paddy McGuinness. It’s a very very funny show. Go watch it if you can!
They also found a signature done by one of the builders at kenworth when they looked under the 5th wheel mounting plate and they took her back home to the kw plant at Seattle
I loved this show when I was a kid! I can not remember a single show though. Except the one they painted the truck Yellow with bathroom paint because that’s all they had of quantity. The one also had women in it also.
another truck with major role in movie a Peterbilt 379 in BLACK DOG (1998) with Patrick Swayze, a good action movie , Meat Loaf as bible quoting psycho bad guy
When I was a kid I built the 1/24 scale truck Back in 2010/2011 I was able to but the series on dvd but it is a bad copy They keep skipping and freezing, yes you are correct about the K100 being a flat top at the beginning i couldn’t believe that until you mentioned that. I still have the dvds
American trucker was a great show with a great host. I'm not a truck drive but love big rigs and was a fan of movies/ TV shows with big rigs in them. BJ and the bear definitely had the nicest truck and good plots .
What happened the the original K-100 (non aerodyne) that was in the opening credits of the early episodes ? And in the Episode with the OG KW 123 it was takin back to the KW Factory where it was built & found the worker that welded a plate on the truck with his initials on it.
Great rundown! I have seen people use the Tamia 1/14 scale radio controlled Globeliner as a base for a BJ and the Bear truck, some of which look absolutely amazing!
@@CarStarz42 Anytime. I have other semi truck movie ideas if you are interested. Flatbed Annie and Sweetie Pie (1979), Thunder Run (1986), Black Dog (1998) and Big Trouble in Little China (1986). If you don't mind that is. Please and Thank you.
Great video a lot of good facts! I’ve been building models for close to 50 years and I just acquired the hideout truck for $25 sealed I just need to find a trailer and some decals and I can build this iconic truck from the TV show of my childhood.
It looks like the AMT Tyrone Malone Hideout kit is actually very close to the impossible to find BJ kit. I had the BJ kit and remember well that exact same 8V92T and Allison automatic transmission. This tells me they are probably basically the same kit. Since I built that kit in about 1983, I always considered it the gospel that the TV trucks had the 8V92 auto setup. I then learned later on, from a RUclips, that that was not necessarily the case. I think AMT did the Hideout truck or some other K123 first and then just evolved the BJ kit from that - in other words, I’m not convinced AMT ever even saw the real BJ truck up close.
The first Malone transporter truck was called the Papa truck and it actually came before the BJ truck. All they did originally was take that kit and rebox it without the ramp hauler body and with different decals. The real one had an 8v92 Detroit and the kit was based on it. That is also why the BJ kit has a much longer wheelbase than the real BJ truck. Both the Papa and Hideout truck have been recently reissued so they are easy to find. There are several aftermarket decal makers who sell decals for an accurate BJ truck. The decals in the original kit were awful. They were rub on instead of water transfer and were nearly impossible to get to conform to all the ribs and rivets on the cab.
@@farmallgray I never thought about it being longer but now that you mention it I think you're right. And your reasoning makes sense. I never tried to apply the BJ decals. I painted mine yellow and white and hooked it to AMT's Gulf tank trailer which I also painted with a yellow frame. My father though, diesel mechanic that he was, took one look at the engine and transmission and said "that's accurate. It's a TV truck so it probably does have an automatic transmission.." so I always believed the real BJ truck to be a Detroit with a slush-box. Then a few years ago they drug that '80 out of the woods on RUclips and they said it had been a Cummins. Tyrone Malone was a big Detroit guy - they're easy to make fast when unloaded. Loaded they're a different story 🙂
According to another youtuber who did a video on the series the early hero truck had the 8V92T/Allison driveline, the reason given was initially Greg Evigan could not drive an Eaton manual transmission (he would later learn that skill). According to the same guy both of the other trucks had Eaton transmission (13 speeds from memory) with 1 having a big cam Cummins engine and the other a 3408 Cat.
My dad and I used to watch this show all the time. The crooked Sheriff Lobo played by Claude Akins. Fun fact. Claude Akins had a series Movin on in the early 70s where he played a truck driver. Can you do a video on that truck?
I remember seeing the BJ truck at Universal Studios Tour, this was in 81, so it may been the 80 version. Next to it was an Adam 12 car, and the Vans from Cheech and chongs next movie, one set up as the low rider version and the other as the work van. Wasn't the 80 used in Knight Rider Piolet as well?
Watching from the Philippines! That is one of the much awaited prime time TV shows during my grade school days. I'm 50 years old now and feel nostalgic!🤗♥️🫰
You should also do another oldie but goodie. The 1979 Kenworth K100, better known as Optimus Prime from the Transformers cartoon. It was also featured in the Micheal Bay movies.
They had to gut the interior of the Truck and put in almost all new upholstery in it after filming the show, "Bear" had a habit it "Deficating" in the Cab!! (Also, Kenworth didn't make a K123. K100E, Yes. And a couple other versions, but not a K123 ) Fun info for Sure.
Love the video, but I will admit that at least one of the trucks that was used in the series BJ and the Bear are still around to be admirer by everyone, good to go.
I'll never forget the show. It's disturbing that most truckers today make less then the fictional truck in 78. ' a buck and a half a mile. ' AS an adult. You obviously can not crash roadblocks. Body damage is a real thing. For an otr trucker who goes anywhere. He wouldn't be dealing with the same local sheriff Lobo. Week after week. Pure Hollywood. Family entertainment.
How about a race between The Snowman rig from Smokey and the Bandit and the KW K123 from BJ and the Bear to answer the question, which truck is the undisputed King of the Trucks.
In your video there are TWO restored K100 trucks. One , the STRETCHED chassis with spread axle reefer is one,....the one on a dragstrip is NOT a stretched chassis. Not sure what is what exactly. The custom stretched chassis, if that IS an actual truck,...they completely ruined it by stretching and alot of custom crap (like the bumper) was done to it. As a 56 yr old trucker that loved it as a kid,.....THEY screwed it up. It should have been RESTORED. The trailer, with a spread axle,...AGAIN, not correct and while pretty fancy, its nowhere what SHOULD be towed.If you're building a replica or restoring do it right. There are a few Smokey and the Bandit replicas out there on youtube that look great,...BRAVO to those guys.
I just found your RUclips of BJ & The Bear. You had mentioned that know one knows where one of the Trucks are. I did see an old BJ & The Bear Truck here in Mexico 🇲🇽 back in 2021. I only saw it on the road for a few seconds and then it was gone. The condition of it was very weathered but still Amazing to still see it alive and still trucking.
I am a 3rd generation trucker, 27 yrs so far, the demise of the cabover has a lot to do with the lower quality of truck driver and the growing obesity trend in both the United States and trucking. Like everything else, trucking is about putting warm, poorly trained bodies in the seat and requiring very little skill or physical fitness. Could you imagine some of these obese 400lb drivers trying to climb into a cab over, 😅
The '91 K-123 actually came from the factory wearing the same colors! I met its original owner in the Bay area about 20 years ago, and he gave me a picture of it: so many people wanted to take pics of it, he simply handed them out! I believe one of the original trucks may still be in use by a production company: saw an identical one in Albuquerque, NM., parked at a location shoot about 10 years ago.
Wonder if they treated Bear as well as they did the truck. I did 42 years in a T/T and watched all the movies and sang all the songs and all I could think is “what happened to the monkey”. I can build a truck. Can’t build a living breathing animal.
I hate to bring this to your attention, but that so called restored original is a K100E which began in 1985. Was 112” BBC not a 110” and featured square headlights and a short cable shifter. NOT an original.
I remember that episode of AT. Rob shows up at the facility in a Nissan Cube and the let him use a restored 58 Plymouth Fury (Christine). Then they found while restoring the truck a panel autographed with a welder from the production builders.
My Grandparent's drove the exact same truck KW K123 but there's was Black and White. And it's still driving all the time. Friend's of my husband own's it. And when it was summer time me and my bf at the time. Would ride with his grandparent's. And we would sit on the dog house and watch traffic. And we would play card's with who ever is in the passenger seat.
Ok, i really had no words to say of this one being show that passed me by so yes buddy caught off guard with today's video but to see one of them is still around for the fans anyway thanks for the surprise and have nice weekend bye now.
I know one of them was given way in a raffle, I saw the truck and took pictures of it at the Kenworth Dealer off of the DC Beltway in Maryland, I entered the raffle but didn't win
There is another guy, in ontario, Canada 🇨🇦, who has a rig, identical to this, and, has 1 refer trlr., and 1 curtain sider trlr., which also have the same paint scheme.
I remember the show and play American Truck Simulator. When I stream it on Twitch I'm usually driving my Green and Gold K100 done up in BJ McKay style and I got a stuffed monkey toy named Shock that is my sidekick. I'm usually seen hauling oversized and forestry related loads cause I hail from Maine and my truck number is the one from my truck I used to drive in real life.
I watched the show when I was 11. Then 6 years later the Transformers came out. Now imagine this. Someone has B.J'S Truck. And then someone has a different Kenworth painted as Prime. Generation One. With the trailer. Because I saw someone had a black one. And I said Motormaster the leader of Stunticons. Great video
I met Greg at a truck show in Los Angeles back in 06' and he had the worst attitude. No where as friendly as in this clip. We all have our days I guess...
The the opening part of the show when the truck goes to the sign was done in a hotel parking lot at Holiday Inn in Stockton California. The hotel is no longer there. It is now park. It was right at the very end of the Delta I was 17 years old and I remodeled Holiday Inn‘s, they would bring sheriff cars all crashed and the production company pretty much took any rooms that we didn’t have under remodeling. I can’t recall his name right off hand famous star lived right around the right they’re not too far away from me. He was Sheriff Lobo. He was there for a long time, and the bear was two doors down from me, him and his trainer had a few rooms so they put the bear with the construction guys I didn’t know them just knew filming some sort of show we even installed a disco for them lots of hot chicks around and the bionic woman, Lindsay Wagner I think she was married to the stunt coordinator I think.she would be around sometimes have to check out game or simulator
As far as I know the the 1976 truck is in Carbon County Pennsylvania with the Ahner Family don't know which kid owns it the family is massive. Saw it in a barn when I picked up some parts some 25 years ago. It was all painted up again up like a show piece just parked. A few times it was at the county fair and then disappeared. I doubt it was sold off they had tons of cash into the thing. That is not a rumor I did see what I saw... Now is actually thee original truck I do not know but it is a good fake if it isn't that truck... I made model of the thing myself when I was a kid. I had to take the model to a hobby shop drop it off to have the stripes put on it the guy actually ended redoing all my work. It looks fantastic even after 40 some years. I think the design and looks make that K100 the most beautiful Kenworth there is..
went to the local collectors mall before covid hit in 2019 if i recall 2018 or 2017, roommate and i both got the bj and the bear thunder roller for 10 dollars
Missed it. Thanks Last time I heard, the remaining truck from Duel is owned by a guy about 30 minutes from me and is shown at their truck show. I want to go to it just to see that truck. I have been driving for 37 years and would love to drive it.
I like 👍 all the videos that you do and you are so talented and knowledgeable about the car 🚗 and truck 🛻 and your channel is amazing l collect match box 📦 hot wheels 🛞 and some large models
There weren't three of these trucks there were actually 10 , they filmed a lot of these episodes here in Florida and my father worked at Kenworth of Tampa and he used to work on these trucks.
In "fact #4 the footage of the restored truck, it looks like the trailer has the Canadian " spread axle" trailer, so I'm guessing the trailer is not the original trailer.
BJ still doing the right thing and taking on injustice with Truckers Against Trafficking is the best news and update that I needed this year.
👍
Episodes still can be watched on youtube!
Some can, which is where the clips in this vid are from, but not all unfortunatly.
Mandrell sisters came on after this show
😉👍
I grew up watching the show. Iam 53. Now. Still love the truck. Keep on trucking 👍
Right on 😉👍
same here, im 54 and i loved it, bought the box set.
I remember being a kid and wanting to be a truck driver! In fact, I used to play on my grandpa's, lawn tractor! And pretnd I was a truck driver! Loved shows like Bj and the Bear, Moving On etc. And of course, movies like Smokey And The Bandit! White Line Fever and Convoy! As well as others! Of course I'm not a Truck Driver, lol! But I loved the good ole days!
😉👍
Well ,now you're gonna have to do something on the " Movin On " Kenworth , Iv'e always loved that show and that beautiful green truck.
Yes I agree as a kid I watched both shows loved them both 😊😊😊😊😊😊
Yep, that one is indeed already on my list as well 😉👍
@@CarStarz42 cool can’t wait to see it 😀😀
And Jan Michael Vincents - Ford 9000 Blue Mule.
@@rhettcorbett3346 definitely
I grew up wanting to be like BJ and got me a Kenworth and a Chimpanzee. I never realized how strong Chimps are and he kicked my a*s at a truck stop for not getting him a banana. I told him, they didn't have any bananas, but he didn't buy my story. I got a broken pinky finger and a few knots on my head.
LOL, dang!
I loved this show as a kid! It was right up there with The Dukes of Hazard. I can't believe how young the actor looks. He looks better than I do and I'm a lot younger!
😉👍
Yep, one was on Friday night and the other on Saturday night! Good times - I miss the 70’s & 80’s
Was my favorite show as a kid as well
It's still one of my favorite theme songs, too!
😆😂🤷🏿♂️
TV's version of Every Which Way But Loose. The 70's did love semi-trucks.
Indeed 😉👍
I actually have that video it's called Robb and the bear the guy who restored the truck also has the truck from duel along with the valiant… And the truck for moving on which they used to get the reefer trailer that was going to become the restored BJ and the bear trailer… Also on the truck they found a steel plate with the names of some of the people who built the truck at the Kenworth plant
Nice, yeah sounds like a cool episode for sure 😉👍
I remember that American Trucker show. It was pretty cool.
😉👍
@@CarStarz42 i wonder if the gent who restored the truck has a copy.
As a trucker I LOVED that show!!!
@@scryla2000 Cool. Thanks for keeping our economy alive during the pandemic 🇺🇸.
@@LongIslandMopars I appreciate the love! Taking a break now till rates come back up
Loved the show and truck. Think it a lot of us wanted to be truck drivers. I drove for awhile.
That’s because in the 1970’s it was one of the best occupations to be had.
😉👍
from the story of the dedicated restoration of the last known remaining truck (kudos!) to the inclusion of the anti-trafficing info this is a particularly good episode! thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it 😉👍
You missed the fourth one that was used in the pilot episode/ movie. This one was a base k series not a Areodyn version. It is often over looked but it’s the original truck that was BJ owned and drove. In the pilot/movie it was destroyed and the one that most people are familiar with is the replacement truck that he was rewarded with.
Yeah, saw some mentioning of that around.
I still have that model kit from “ AMT” that I built when I was a kid. Mine is assembled and is 45 years old. I loved that show
Nice 😉👍
Great video as usual! Your research skills are amazing! I have a hard time finding stuff I'm looking for on the Interwebs, and you come up with such diamonds and gold nuggets of info about the vehicles you are showcasing! You got THE TOUCH, my brother!
Have a great weekend and I'm looking forward to your next RUclips gem! 👍
Thanks much friend! Glad you enjoyed it 😉👍
8:34 OH NO, a BJ & the Bear cast iron truck with a RED TRANS AM! Sacrilege! 😂😂
😂
😉
Restoring that truck was a true labor of love, I can’t imagine the number of hours that took.
Great show, thank you as always ~ Chuck
Indeed, had to be extremely difficult!
Based on what it takes to restore a car, thousands.
6 figures for sure
Really enjoy these videos I too watched this show as a kid and was a huge fan and yet as the other comments have said strangely I can't really remember the episodes?
Glad you enjoyed it and yeah, seems to a common memory conundrum. 😉
Such a cool truck .... Was lucky enough to see it in 2019 at a dukes of hazard event
Cool 😉👍
Truckers Against Trafficking is a requirement in Kansas to have your CDL.
That's good 👍
Like the ‘60s Barris Batmobile, who knows how many there “really” were. The official count is 3. I seem to remember that at the height of its popularity it made an awfully lot of appearances at various shows and parades. So many, in fact, it seems implausible that there was only 1 hero truck.
I'm sure there was others built for promotional touring and such as is typical when a show or movie is a hit 😉
@@CarStarz42 the BJ trucks were painted in a standard KW graphics pattern that was available to anyone. I remember seeing other trucks on the road back then with the same colors and the same pattern with other colors. So it's very possible that there were others just used for promotion.
@@farmallgray Indeed 😉👍
Very cool video about the trailer truck 🚛 used in the TV show B.J.& The Bear . Didn't you just do a similar video with the same molded truck from a different movie or show talking about The K100 ?.
Yeah, the Unisol truck from Universal Solider was K100 based as well and that reminded me of this show 😉👍
@@CarStarz42 l though so and very cool.
I just saw Greg in an episode of DALLAS driving a 70's Dodge van with shag carpet interior.
😉👍
I know the guy that owns the original pilot truck in Texas. K100 flat top small bunk. Still has the yellow paint. He got lucky and bought off Craigslist for $4k.
Im pretty positive the pilot truck was a flattop double bunk.
It’s a 1974. Small bunk. The pilot was when they painted the truck and trailer yellow to evade the law.
It’s a 1974. Small bunk. The pilot was when they painted the truck and trailer yellow to evade the law.
Cool 😉👍
One of my favorite shows as a kid in the 80's
😉👍
Damn Greg still looks good for 70 I miss the 70’s and 80’s so damn bad.
70’s & 80’s were awesome - miss it so much!
Indeed 😉👍
Wild BJ and the Bear fact #11 - the theme song was rewritten and used in the UK’s Max and Paddy ‘Road to Nowhere’ sitcom with Peter Kay and Paddy McGuinness. It’s a very very funny show. Go watch it if you can!
I like the theme song for Paddy and Max. Just listen to it never heard it before I like the take no shit line😅
😉👍
They also found a signature done by one of the builders at kenworth when they looked under the 5th wheel mounting plate and they took her back home to the kw plant at Seattle
Yeah, I read that too; pretty cool 😉👍
Great show as a kid. Knight Rider A Team Dukes of Hazard. Help me be a car enthusiasts.
😉👍
I loved this show when I was a kid! I can not remember a single show though. Except the one they painted the truck Yellow with bathroom paint because that’s all they had of quantity. The one also had women in it also.
Lol, indeed 😉
another truck with major role in movie a Peterbilt 379 in BLACK DOG (1998) with Patrick Swayze, a good action movie , Meat Loaf as bible quoting psycho bad guy
Yeah, that one is on my list already as well 😉👍
When I was a kid I built the 1/24 scale truck
Back in 2010/2011 I was able to but the series on dvd but it is a bad copy
They keep skipping and freezing, yes you are correct about the K100 being a flat top at the beginning i couldn’t believe that until you mentioned that.
I still have the dvds
😉👍
Hi again
I still want to find a k100 or just a cab over and turn it into a RV hauler or a car hauler
Howdy 😉👍
I went to a truck driving school in elmonte ca in 1980 the flat top kw was the first truck I drove 3408 cat and a airshift 4x4 .c t a school.
😉👍
American trucker was a great show with a great host.
I'm not a truck drive but love big rigs and was a fan of movies/ TV shows with big rigs in them.
BJ and the bear definitely had the nicest truck and good plots .
😉👍
🤔🤔🤔 G1 Optimus Prime??? (OK.. OK... I Know there was a Peterbilt; but...)... Excelent Vídeo👏👏👏!!!
Glad you enjoyed it 😉👍
What happened the the original K-100 (non aerodyne) that was in the opening credits of the early episodes ? And in the Episode with the OG KW 123 it was takin back to the KW Factory where it was built & found the worker that welded a plate on the truck with his initials on it.
Interesting.
Loved the show, loved the theme song, and Greg Evigan always seemed like a super nice guy both on and off screen.
😉👍
I'm not going to post his name without his permission, but there is a gentleman other than Paul Sagehorn who has a screen used truck.
Are you talking about the one in Australia?
@@grubby1975 It is not in Australia
Interesting if truth 😉
It definitely was..I wonder there's a way I can send it to you..I got the episode a few years ago from iTunes
I'm sure I'll find it some day 😉👍
Loved BJ and The Bear. Have you covered my favorite movie truck yet? Rubber Duck's black Mack R700?
That on is indeed on my list as well 😉👍
Great rundown! I have seen people use the Tamia 1/14 scale radio controlled Globeliner as a base for a BJ and the Bear truck, some of which look absolutely amazing!
Cool 😉👍
That is a beautiful truck
Indeed 😉👍
Love the KW from BJ and The Bear. Can you do a video on the BLUE MULE Ford WT9000 from the 1975 classic WHITE LINE FEVER? Please and Thank You.
I'll add it to my big list to look into at some point. Thanks
@@CarStarz42 Anytime. I have other semi truck movie ideas if you are interested. Flatbed Annie and Sweetie Pie (1979), Thunder Run (1986), Black Dog (1998) and Big Trouble in Little China (1986). If you don't mind that is. Please and Thank you.
@@ryanpoulin5144 Thanks much.
@@CarStarz42 You are very welcome!
One of my favorite childhood TV shows!!
😉👍
Great video a lot of good facts! I’ve been building models for close to 50 years and I just acquired the hideout truck for $25 sealed I just need to find a trailer and some decals and I can build this iconic truck from the TV show of my childhood.
Nice 😉👍
My father was a truck driver he had a friend with that truck except it was green and white
Nice 😉👍
It looks like the AMT Tyrone Malone Hideout kit is actually very close to the impossible to find BJ kit. I had the BJ kit and remember well that exact same 8V92T and Allison automatic transmission. This tells me they are probably basically the same kit. Since I built that kit in about 1983, I always considered it the gospel that the TV trucks had the 8V92 auto setup. I then learned later on, from a RUclips, that that was not necessarily the case. I think AMT did the Hideout truck or some other K123 first and then just evolved the BJ kit from that - in other words, I’m not convinced AMT ever even saw the real BJ truck up close.
Quite possibly.
The first Malone transporter truck was called the Papa truck and it actually came before the BJ truck. All they did originally was take that kit and rebox it without the ramp hauler body and with different decals. The real one had an 8v92 Detroit and the kit was based on it.
That is also why the BJ kit has a much longer wheelbase than the real BJ truck. Both the Papa and Hideout truck have been recently reissued so they are easy to find. There are several aftermarket decal makers who sell decals for an accurate BJ truck. The decals in the original kit were awful. They were rub on instead of water transfer and were nearly impossible to get to conform to all the ribs and rivets on the cab.
@@farmallgray I never thought about it being longer but now that you mention it I think you're right. And your reasoning makes sense. I never tried to apply the BJ decals. I painted mine yellow and white and hooked it to AMT's Gulf tank trailer which I also painted with a yellow frame. My father though, diesel mechanic that he was, took one look at the engine and transmission and said "that's accurate. It's a TV truck so it probably does have an automatic transmission.." so I always believed the real BJ truck to be a Detroit with a slush-box. Then a few years ago they drug that '80 out of the woods on RUclips and they said it had been a Cummins. Tyrone Malone was a big Detroit guy - they're easy to make fast when unloaded. Loaded they're a different story 🙂
According to another youtuber who did a video on the series the early hero truck had the 8V92T/Allison driveline, the reason given was initially Greg Evigan could not drive an Eaton manual transmission (he would later learn that skill). According to the same guy both of the other trucks had Eaton transmission (13 speeds from memory) with 1 having a big cam Cummins engine and the other a 3408 Cat.
@Tiger351 would that be the flat top truck from the pilot episode, or the first aerodyne truck?
Another request for the EM-50 from stripes
Indeed already on the list as well, thanks 😉👍
My dad and I used to watch this show all the time. The crooked Sheriff Lobo played by Claude Akins. Fun fact. Claude Akins had a series Movin on in the early 70s where he played a truck driver. Can you do a video on that truck?
Cool and yep; that one is already on the list as well 😉👍
Met both Greg Evigan and Paul Sagehorn several years ago, both awesome guys! Paul also has the "Movin' On" W900 truck.
Cool and indeed 😉👍
Loved the show..i still do now ..seeing Milwaukee Wisconsin on the door made it that much better..
😉👍
I built the AMT model kit back in the shows run.I was 9 or 10.
Cool 😉👍
Good ole days
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I remember seeing the BJ truck at Universal Studios Tour, this was in 81, so it may been the 80 version. Next to it was an Adam 12 car, and the Vans from Cheech and chongs next movie, one set up as the low rider version and the other as the work van. Wasn't the 80 used in Knight Rider Piolet as well?
Very cool and not sure about that, but possibly.
til 2024, No remake?
lol
Watching from the Philippines! That is one of the much awaited prime time TV shows during my grade school days. I'm 50 years old now and feel nostalgic!🤗♥️🫰
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BJ's truck was seen briefly on a background in Knight Rider episode "Inside Out".
Yeah, someone else mentioned that too; cool stuff 😉👍
You should also do another oldie but goodie. The 1979 Kenworth K100, better known as Optimus Prime from the Transformers cartoon. It was also featured in the Micheal Bay movies.
Yeah, might do that at some point.
They had to gut the interior of the Truck and put in almost all new upholstery in it after filming the show, "Bear" had a habit it "Deficating" in the Cab!! (Also, Kenworth didn't make a K123. K100E, Yes. And a couple other versions, but not a K123 ) Fun info for Sure.
Man, that must have stunk something fierce!
Love the video, but I will admit that at least one of the trucks that was used in the series BJ and the Bear are still around to be admirer by everyone, good to go.
Glad you enjoyed it and indeed that is cool 😉👍
I'll never forget the show.
It's disturbing that most truckers today make less then the fictional truck in 78.
' a buck and a half a mile. '
AS an adult.
You obviously can not crash roadblocks.
Body damage is a real thing.
For an otr trucker who goes anywhere.
He wouldn't be dealing with the same local sheriff Lobo.
Week after week.
Pure Hollywood.
Family entertainment.
Indeed
How about a race between The Snowman rig from Smokey and the Bandit and the KW K123 from BJ and the Bear to answer the question, which truck is the undisputed King of the Trucks.
That would be cool to see indeed 😉👍
In your video there are TWO restored K100 trucks. One , the STRETCHED chassis with spread axle reefer is one,....the one on a dragstrip is NOT a stretched chassis. Not sure what is what exactly. The custom stretched chassis, if that IS an actual truck,...they completely ruined it by stretching and alot of custom crap (like the bumper) was done to it. As a 56 yr old trucker that loved it as a kid,.....THEY screwed it up. It should have been RESTORED. The trailer, with a spread axle,...AGAIN, not correct and while pretty fancy, its nowhere what SHOULD be towed.If you're building a replica or restoring do it right. There are a few Smokey and the Bandit replicas out there on youtube that look great,...BRAVO to those guys.
Ah, maybe so. Sorry for the confusion; must be a couple out there that are being claimed as "original" then perhaps.
I just found your RUclips of BJ & The Bear. You had mentioned that know one knows where one of the Trucks are. I did see an old BJ & The Bear Truck here in Mexico 🇲🇽 back in 2021. I only saw it on the road for a few seconds and then it was gone. The condition of it was very weathered but still Amazing to still see it alive and still trucking.
Interesting 😉👍
I am a 3rd generation trucker, 27 yrs so far, the demise of the cabover has a lot to do with the lower quality of truck driver and the growing obesity trend in both the United States and trucking. Like everything else, trucking is about putting warm, poorly trained bodies in the seat and requiring very little skill or physical fitness. Could you imagine some of these obese 400lb drivers trying to climb into a cab over, 😅
True enough, the "trucker image" has changed vastly since the 70s for sure.
The '91 K-123 actually came from the factory wearing the same colors!
I met its original owner in the Bay area about 20 years ago, and he gave me a picture of it: so many people wanted to take pics of it, he simply handed them out!
I believe one of the original trucks may still be in use by a production company: saw an identical one in Albuquerque, NM., parked at a location shoot about 10 years ago.
Cool 😉👍
Wonder if they treated Bear as well as they did the truck. I did 42 years in a T/T and watched all the movies and sang all the songs and all I could think is “what happened to the monkey”. I can build a truck. Can’t build a living breathing animal.
True, not sure on that point.
I believe bj's truck was a k100 aerodyne. Never heard of a k123. I drove several k100 during my 47 year trucking career. Retired 5 years ago.
Yes, the K123 is just a particular set of options on a K100 Aerodyne series truck that they labeled as. You can Google it to find out more 😉
I hate to bring this to your attention, but that so called restored original is a K100E which began in 1985. Was 112” BBC not a 110” and featured square headlights and a short cable shifter. NOT an original.
Possibly
.....Bear, the champanzee, recently went into re-hab. He was in a lot of reality shows but hit rock bottom with his Only Fans debacle!! Just Kidding.
LOL 😉
I remember that episode of AT. Rob shows up at the facility in a Nissan Cube and the let him use a restored 58 Plymouth Fury (Christine). Then they found while restoring the truck a panel autographed with a welder from the production builders.
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My Grandparent's drove the exact same truck KW K123 but there's was Black and White. And it's still driving all the time. Friend's of my husband own's it. And when it was summer time me and my bf at the time. Would ride with his grandparent's. And we would sit on the dog house and watch traffic. And we would play card's with who ever is in the passenger seat.
Cool 😉👍
Ok, i really had no words to say of this one being show that passed me by so yes buddy caught off guard with today's video but to see one of them is still around for the fans anyway thanks for the surprise and have nice weekend bye now.
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I know one of them was given way in a raffle, I saw the truck and took pictures of it at the Kenworth Dealer off of the DC Beltway in Maryland, I entered the raffle but didn't win
Cool 😉👍
There is another guy, in ontario, Canada 🇨🇦, who has a rig, identical to this, and, has 1 refer trlr., and 1 curtain sider trlr., which also have the same paint scheme.
Nice 😉👍
The KEFFER family KENWORTH is a K100E. The E cab had rectangular head lights.
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I remember the show and play American Truck Simulator. When I stream it on Twitch I'm usually driving my Green and Gold K100 done up in BJ McKay style and I got a stuffed monkey toy named Shock that is my sidekick. I'm usually seen hauling oversized and forestry related loads cause I hail from Maine and my truck number is the one from my truck I used to drive in real life.
Cool 😉👍
I watched the show when I was 11. Then 6 years later the Transformers came out. Now imagine this. Someone has B.J'S Truck. And then someone has a different Kenworth painted as Prime. Generation One. With the trailer. Because I saw someone had a black one. And I said Motormaster the leader of Stunticons. Great video
Thanks and cool 😉👍
I met Greg at a truck show in Los Angeles back in 06' and he had the worst attitude. No where as friendly as in this clip. We all have our days I guess...
Hmm, yeah; must of been one of those.
Cool that the actual truck from the show was saved and restored!!
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@@CarStarz42 wasnt restored,...it was customized and ruined. Its only the cab shell, if that.
The the opening part of the show when the truck goes to the sign was done in a hotel parking lot at Holiday Inn in Stockton California. The hotel is no longer there. It is now park. It was right at the very end of the Delta I was 17 years old and I remodeled Holiday Inn‘s, they would bring sheriff cars all crashed and the production company pretty much took any rooms that we didn’t have under remodeling. I can’t recall his name right off hand famous star lived right around the right they’re not too far away from me. He was Sheriff Lobo. He was there for a long time, and the bear was two doors down from me, him and his trainer had a few rooms so they put the bear with the construction guys I didn’t know them just knew filming some sort of show we even installed a disco for them lots of hot chicks around and the bionic woman, Lindsay Wagner I think she was married to the stunt coordinator I think.she would be around sometimes have to check out game or simulator
Cool stuff 😉👍
As far as I know the the 1976 truck is in Carbon County Pennsylvania with the Ahner Family don't know which kid owns it the family is massive. Saw it in a barn when I picked up some parts some 25 years ago. It was all painted up again up like a show piece just parked. A few times it was at the county fair and then disappeared. I doubt it was sold off they had tons of cash into the thing. That is not a rumor I did see what I saw... Now is actually thee original truck I do not know but it is a good fake if it isn't that truck... I made model of the thing myself when I was a kid. I had to take the model to a hobby shop drop it off to have the stripes put on it the guy actually ended redoing all my work. It looks fantastic even after 40 some years. I think the design and looks make that K100 the most beautiful Kenworth there is..
Cool 😉👍
i always wanted to drive a cabover back when i was an OTR driver. never did get the chance. thanks for the video my friend.
You're very welcome 😉👍
And can you review? Python 67 Kenworth W900A from the 1992 movie revenge on the highway
I'll add it to the list to look into, thanks 😉👍
Why NO mention about the STAR of the show, BEAR. If there was no monkey, there would have been no show.
Lol, indeed 😉
Dont see many K100 here in Australia mainly K200 and alot of long nose T909. There is a better mod for ATS with all the signage on it
Ah, interesting.
A concept I can never get enough of, a man & his monkey!
lol. I used to spank mine every day…
Lol, 😉👍
went to the local collectors mall before covid hit in 2019 if i recall 2018 or 2017, roommate and i both got the bj and the bear thunder roller for 10 dollars
Cool 😉👍
Time for a video on the Duel truck.
Yep, covered that one already... ruclips.net/video/jQrHDzzIRnI/видео.html
Missed it. Thanks
Last time I heard, the remaining truck from Duel is owned by a guy about 30 minutes from me and is shown at their truck show. I want to go to it just to see that truck. I have been driving for 37 years and would love to drive it.
I thought they were k100s to79s and a 80 model
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I graduated in k100 flat top from truck driving school in 1994.
Cool! 😉👍
I like 👍 all the videos that you do and you are so talented and knowledgeable about the car 🚗 and truck 🛻 and your channel is amazing l collect match box 📦 hot wheels 🛞 and some large models
Very glad to hear that and thanks much friend 😉👍
There weren't three of these trucks there were actually 10 , they filmed a lot of these episodes here in Florida and my father worked at Kenworth of Tampa and he used to work on these trucks.
ok
I watched the job regularly it was fun, cool and hilarious ❤️👍
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In "fact #4 the footage of the restored truck, it looks like the trailer has the Canadian " spread axle" trailer, so I'm guessing the trailer is not the original trailer.
Most likely
If someone is looking for a model of the truck.... I have some for sale. It's from Brekina 1/87
Cool.
I wonder if anyone ever did a "18 wheels of justice"tribute truck
Maybe, but that was a short lived series, not sure if i has much of a following comparatively.
I watched the show when I was a kid. Fun times. I told my mother I wanted to be a truck driver, haha, she wouldn’t have any of it.
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