What better vehicle for Independence Day than one made by a company known for manufacturing harvesting equipment for farmers to produce food for America and the world, not to mention making some of the most interesting trucks ever produced? This 1970 International Travelall is so big that the seller seems to have had trouble getting the whole thing onto the photos, but they did include a lot of them and they’re all horizontal so life is good. Thanks to Rocco B. for the tip!
That’s a different profile, but it must be the camera angle making the rear axle appear to be like that on an early Rambler American and not quite being lined up with the rear wheel wells. This truck looks solid and the seller doesn’t mention any rust issues, or at least they say “no significant rust”, so that’s good for a vehicle well over five decades old. I’m not sure if the front clip has been repainted but the lower trim is missing on both sides.
Nicely designed but not overly designed, the Travelall gave buyers another choice who needed a Suburban-sized vehicle but may have wanted to buy from their local I-H dealership. Originally a Texas truck, this Travelall moved to Oregon to be with its third owner in 2009 and has enjoyed a life of relative ease, at least when it comes to road salt. I don’t see any glaring issues on the exterior of this big blue beauty, other than some missing trim on the bottoms of the front fenders.
The interior looks great other than the driver’s side of the front bench seat and that should be repairable without too much trouble. Please, no velour, though. It looks really clean and nice in the front compartment from what I can see, and yes, that’s a four-speed manual shifter next to the transfer case shifter. We don’t see the back seat other than snippets, but it looks clean and the rear cargo area looks clean and would swallow up a couple of minibikes with ease, or enough camping gear for a family of six.
The engine is International’s optional 304-cu.in. OHV V8 with 193 horsepower and 272 lb-ft of torque. Sending power through the four-speed manual transmission and transfer case to all four wheels when needed, this one is said to run and drive great, the 4WD system works as it should, and this would be fun to own. It has had a lot of maintenance work over the last decade, they have it posted here on craigslist in Bend, Oregon, and they’re asking $22,500. Here is the original listing. Happy Independence Day, all!
This 4sp. billy goat 🐐 will take the whole tribe 👪 up to the lake 🏕 🦌 🎣
Nice old truck. Both enclosed CV joint front axle seals are dripping (on tire, 3 o’clock) on the passenger side.
Correction, axle seal has dripped onto inside of passenger tire when at the 6 o’clock position and tire has been turned to where oil drippings are at the 9 o’clock position.
It’s crazy what will bring back a memory. I didn’t ride the bus to school until high school. Being a car/truck guy I then of course studied the busses. The district fleet included Internationals. When I saw that shifter, those busses flashed into my mind. They must have used the same shifter.
I like the straightforward simplicity of this International. Good craigslist ad; I got a kick out of “challenging to drive.” I’m sure it is, especially compared to the Expedition or Suburban of today.
Thanks Scotty.
Bob,
Loved your comment. I, too, studied the IH busses I rode to Jr High and High School. Definitely looks like the same shifter except this one understandably is missing the switch for the 2-speed rear end.
If I stop and think a minute, I can hear the burbly idle and unique sound they made when accelerating from a stop.
Nice truck, but I don’t know where I’d park it.
What a great opening line. It’s refreshing to hear, and where the author resides, a more patriotic state you’ll be hard pressed to find, except maybe Wisconsin. We had freakin’ AMERICAN MOTORS for heavens sake. And the only American motorcycle for years. IH was synonymous with America. they had USA defined, from refrigerators to combines to trucks, and a mere shred today, now part Italian owned, I believe.
As a kid, the old man had a Travelall, 2wd to pull our campers for a spell. As a kid, I learned some new swear words thanks to that truck. The blame was not with IH, my old man had deplorable maintenance on his vehicles, then wondered why they performed poorly. It was replaced by a Chevy Suburban that took his abuse much better. IH pickups and these were seldom seen, and never a 4×4 in the city. Rural areas saw most IHs. Farmers loved them. They could get parts at the same place that combine bearing was obtained. City slickers, not so much. Funny Bob^ mentioned the shifter. I drove more IH heavy duty trucks than any other, and that shifter was used in them too. Great find, any mechanical parts can be found( with an inch of dust on the box) , body parts, good luck on that.
Bob,
Loved your comment. I, too, studied the IH busses I rode to Jr High and High School. Definitely looks like the same shifter except this one understandably is missing the switch for the 2-speed rear end.
If I stop and think a minute, I can hear the burbly idle and unique sound they made when accelerating from a stop.
Nice truck, but I don’t know where I’d park it.
“a more patriotic state you’ll be hard pressed to find”. FLORIDA!?
Boy, I’d swear that rear axle is at least 3 inches forward of where it should be. I saw a lot of square-bodied Travelalls in my day and I’m sure there’s something out of whack with this one.
Binder made some good trucks over the years. Travelalls were no exception; they stood up well. Our local dealer sold lots of them and many families kept them for years, long after IH quit building them.
OK, now I see what’s going on; that’s an 1100D and those axles look like they’re off a 1200D. That’s a couple of 3/4 ton axles under that truck. Looks like putting 3/4 ton axles under a Binder will give the same result as putting them under a GM. Mounts just aren’t the same. Otherwise there shouldn’t be too much of a problem using the heavier axles. But you’ve still got to get them in the proper place.
I’d be more than a little curious as to where those axles came from. If they’re actually off a Binder there might be some problems getting brake drums if that issue came up. I read about a guy adapting later model GM 3/4 ton rotors to Binders equipped with disc brakes. However the drums have sometimes been a challenge. Shoes, hardware kits, new cylinders, no problem; just bring your billfold. Dana axles, which are akin to flies on a dead horse for being common.
You can’t work that 304 engine to death; you have to kill it with a large stick. Coolant pipes can sometimes be a challenge to replace. A couple of guys are into making them so it’s better than trying to make them yourself. I like to replace that Holley 2300 with a 350 Center Inlet. You could even install a 500 2bbl but that can tend to drown it. Easy to dial in and they stay in tune quite well.
Overall, get those axles where they belong and you just might have a good vehicle. Lots of enthusiastic owners out there and parts are getting better…
Good to have the experts chime in. Thanks geomechs. (My thumbs up function doesn’t work at all.)
Hi Bob. Looks like my thumbs-up function doesn’t work either. Thanks for the response.
Mine either, but Geo doesn’t need them anyway. His knowledge is unsurpassed and has forgotten more than I know. The day an IH post doesn’t get this guy going, is the day I begin to worry. We’re all getting up there, you know.
If hoses and valve cover gaskets were installed in 2009, do you think they should be replaced in 2024?
Hoses might require some attention but I wouldn’t worry about the gaskets unless they start leaking. The old mechanics’ proverb: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…”