One of the most interesting states in the U.S. has to be Colorado, at least climate and geography-wise. It has it all, from dry, flat areas to some of the highest mountains in the Continental U.S., to heat and snow. This 1973 International 1210 Travelette is located in Bennett, Colorado, east of Denver, and is listed here on craigslist, and the seller is asking $7,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Mike F. for this three-ton tip!
If you can’t find a place to live in Colorado that satisfies most of your needs at least 300 days a year, you may not find it anywhere. It’s also a great place to buy vehicles. The Pacific Northwest is still, hands down, the best area of the country for rust-free vehicles without burnt interiors and those eaten by rodents, which often happens in desert regions of the Southwest. Plus, Colorado has more than its share of snow, so there’s that as far as possible rust issues go.
The seller does say that this Travelette (1957-1975) has a bit of rust, although it looks great to me. It isn’t perfect, but $7,500 isn’t $25,000 or $45,000 or whatever other prices these four-door I-H trucks often sell for. One caveat with thing one is that power only goes to the rear wheels, so this isn’t a 4×4. It takes a hit in the value department for that, but if you need a good-looking tow vehicle for a vintage vehicle or vehicles, here you go. Here’s what the bed looks like.
The underside looks solid for the most part, and this truck is also a Camper Special, so it has a few nice touches. The interior looks pretty nice and would look really nice with new carpet, which seems to be the biggest thing holding it back from having a major wow factor inside. Although, then again, this one has a Borg Warner T18 four-speed manual with a floor shifter, so a lot of the wow factor just came roaring back. The back seat looks like a nice place to ride while you’re towing your 1962 Scout to a show, or to Moab for some off-roading. There’s a bit of damage on the top of the back seat, I’m assuming from the sun.
The engine is International’s… V8 of some sort. A 304, 345, 392, and 401 would have been available, according to a brochure and a Hemmings article. Backed by the four-speed manual and rear-wheel drive, this one is said to run great, and everything works, other than the AC system, which is missing the compressor. This seems like a no-brainer at $7,500 to me, even though a lot of us remember when they were $4,000. It isn’t 1996 anymore, folks; prices for vintage vehicles have gone up. Have any of you owned an International Travelette?
Ahem,,and I live here, making it less interesting? Nah, Colorado is indeed a neat place, busy, but plenty of room for all. Not cheap, but what is? With rentals at $1900/mo., it becomes very exclusive. For the record, east Co. is nothing like the rest of the state. Flat and nothing, the hills are the cheese.
I’d say this was a municipal truck, as 4 door pickups were unheard in public then. The yellow color and spotlight may bolster that claim. To be clear, the 266, 304( not AMC), 345, and 392, were IH V8 motors, the 401 was the AMC motor, substituted when 392s were in short supply. I don’t think one can visually tell the IH motor apart, and being the height of the 392 shortage,( 73-74) this is probably a 345, but maybe a 266. The AMC 401 had a different thermostat housing, I believe.Not much info on that. Geo the man there. Good trucks, everything their bigger brothers had, including that straight front axle, and I all but guarantee, 4 door pickups for the masses was the absolute LAST thing on truck makers minds then. These were merely a way to get a crew and gear to a job site. The rest is history. A great find from a great state, beats the Badger any day, and not just the weather. Unlike Wisconsin( we won’t go into that) Colorado has been very good to me. They have many senior programs, like my govt. assisted apt.( couldn’t live here otherwise) and the state has over 1.3 million seniors, heat assist, rebates, Medicaid( $13 billion/year) pays a lot, most certainly funded in part by the dope tax( almost $300 million/year) and I’m seeing a lot of California/Texas license plates. C’mon out, pard’ner, room for one more, oh, and bring your helicopter, it’s the only way to find these vehicles anymore. The highways are the Achilles heel here, they stink! Mike will agree to that, I’m sure.
Definitely not a 401. And no Howard, we are completely full. NO VACANCY lol.
Yes, we’re full. Stay wherever you are now. I am willing to make the sacrifice of living here in Colorado in order to free up space in other states. You’re welcome!
Yes Howard, alas! Traffic is awful now, Ft Collins to C. Springs. Even out in Elbert County where we live it’s becoming over run. As we speak, my daughter is hauling up to Buena Vista on 285, and called to say she’s in 10 mph early weekend traffic near Kenosha Pass. Now, when I moved here in 1968….OK, I won’t go into that.
I’d love to have this Travelette…would look good hauling my ugly goose neck horse trailer. However, I freely admit I’m just enough mechanic to really screw up this truck working on it. It would look unique though, pulling into the grounds next to all the shiny new Dodge, Ford and GM diesels.
The 401 engines were mostly used in Travelalls, if my information is correct. I don’t think I saw a 401 in anything else. In the IH engine family, the 345 and 392 were a trifle wider than the two smaller engines. They can all be identified by the numbers stamped on a machined pad on the front right side of the block, just under the head, and somewhat obscured by the alternator.
The crewcabs started to gain some popularity in the early 70s. My Dad had a Shortbox 1200D in ’69 and it was pretty much loaded. The 392 was thirsty but Dad wasn’t all that concerned; he just installed a huge road tank in the front of the bed and seldom looked at it. But then, gas was pretty cheap.
This would be a good project to take on. You won’t have to worry about handling it in a parking lot as it can turn on a dime despite the long wheelbase. Parts are fairly easy to come by but be careful as there are some confused suppliers out there…
Nice rig, but could use bigger mud flaps on the back.
But Jack, it’s only a Travel-ette !
Nice big truck from the past to enjoy.
The straight axle probably rides a little stiff but this is in great shape.
I do wonder what the HOA fee is on the land yacht though 😎
This will a great truck to go to cars and coffee on weekends.
Good luck with sale !
Cornbinder!
These old boxcars were tough as nails. 304/345 392s had a 4bbl. If I remember right a 5sp OD trans was an option.
I think their body styling dept. consisted of a box of Legos and a couple line workers on light duty.
Listing update: which one of you grabbed this Travelette? The seller has deleted the listing.