This handsome pair is for sale here on eBay with bidding at just $1025, reserve not met. The 1968 International Travelette runs well, and the Avion aluminum-skinned camper is from the late 1960s. Secure the camper to the truck, and you can drive it home from Cochranville, Pennsylvania. Then it’s time to clean it up and show it off, because this is a rare truck. International made just 10,319 1200Cs of all types from 1968 to 1969, and the crew cab Travelette was a tiny subset of that production; most were single-cab pickups.
This example is powered by a 196 hp 304 cu. in. V8 backed by a three-speed automatic; as a bonus, it has power steering and power brakes. The seller notes that it came from the factory configured with 2WD, but a previous owner fitted a 4WD disc brake front axle. The swap was never completed with the appropriate driveline, transfer case, and so forth, so it remains 2WD. The Travelette was the first production crew cab made by any US manufacturer; the long bed version sits on a 166″ wheelbase. The seller notes that for such a long truck, it handles very well.
International Harvester offered buyers scads of mechanical and cosmetic options. The 1200C could be had with heavy-duty springs, a juicier alternator, many other engines and transmissions, a larger gas tank, even non-tempered windshield glass – the potential for customization was nearly endless. Inside, the flat-panel dash, upright steering wheel, and simple round gauges were the same across the range, but air conditioning, a lighter, and fancy interior trim were available if a buyer wanted to pay up. New upholstery on those front seats and new front door cards would improve a cabin that’s already liveable.
Avion specialized in towables; the truck camper was a bit of a sideline, made only in 1967 as far as I can tell. This one needs to be restored, though its wings have been repaired at least. The seller does indicate that he’ll sell the truck alone, but with no monetary credit for leaving the Avion behind; he’ll reinstall the tailgate and send you on down the road, camper-less.
When IH introduced the C-series in 1961, it sat on a brand-new chassis with brand-new suspension. The redesign meant the truck could sit 4″ lower than the prior B-series models, easing ingress for the all-important buyer. The Travelette long-bed’s frame is made of heavier steel sections reinforced with crossmembers – unlike International’s lighter duty trucks – so the bottom of the bed sits very slightly higher than the bottom of the cab. Other than minor rust here and there, this truck is in decent condition, but the seller needs a dose of reality when it comes to price. This nice ’68, with virtually nothing to do ‘cept drive it, sold for only $14,750 last year. What would you pay for this truck/camper combo?
Wait a sec, hold on here, what did they do? Always nice to start the day with a chuckle, even at 2 am, should carry me through the day. See, that’s the thing, there’s no “road atlas” to life, you can do your own thing, no matter how silly it may seem to others. Obviously, there’s a better way to get better braking, and why would you even go through all that, you have no business exceeding the limits of drum brakes in a rig like this to begin with. America! Freedom! And 8 others love it,,,for a fraction of the asking price. The camper is probably too far gone to keep, the truck itself is pretty cool, as mentioned, pretty rare, as nobody in their right mind went for this in the 60s. These trucks were for construction crews and had little public appeal. A 4 door pickup truck? Preposterous, yet, here we are. Not to beat an,,old Rambler, but gas mileage, and the stick are the things holding back sales, can you imagine someone showing up in their newish RAM 4 door to drive this? How different could it possibly be? THIS THING IS DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS TO DRIVE,,,and so it goes,,,
Oops, forget the stick shtick, it’s an automatic, but still a handful to the inexperienced. Still amazed at the axle swap.
6 pack – bench seats – get your crew there & back with a load of chainsaws pulaskis and peaveys. Happy hour starts at 3 . . . .
I’m always interested in seeing vintage pickups paired with vintage campers. I do think that the camper is definitely going to need some attention . But, there are people out there who can and would restore it I’m sure. I wonder how the 304 and automatic do with the weight of that camper. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with this.
They forget to point out that this Mount Everest on wheels sleeps 9, with 4 of those in the cab!
Given the condition of both the truck and the camper, this guy is dreaming. I don’t know what ‘s growing on the ceiling of the camper, but it doesn’t look healthy. And the rest of the interior is in pieces. The sink is just hanging there, and there are pieces everywhere. The truck doesn’t look much better, inside or out. But…. I’m sure he knows what he has!
Avion was pretty high end back in the day, competitive in structure with Airstream . Even if the camper interior was somewhat dilapidated, the all metal structure would imply that it held up better than the a standard stick build construction of other campers back in that day. And there’s the unmistakable coolness of international trucks of that day. It is hard to believe that International, a renowned builder of heavy duty trucks, would make one inadequate to carry this load.
I’d drive that! We had a 64 1200 4×4 single cab was used to haul coal and gravel and pull the camp trailer. No power steering or power brakes and it was a 304 and 4 speed.
It looks so long, but at the end of the day, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s no longer than a modern day F150 or Dodge Ram
AI says a Super Duty Crew Cab 6 3/4′ bed has a 160″ wheelbase, 8′ bed has a 176″ wheelbase. Compared to this 166″ wheelbase.
this looks to be 1 hell of a truck, but bidders don’t by where the bidding is.
I’m also amazed at the guy swapping the front axle, but it’s still not completed. Would definitely leave that camper with the seller. Good deal that this beast has power steering and brakes. It may handle a little better than a lumber truck.
They sold a one owner, always garaged short box one here a few years back with about 49000 miles on it. I think it brought about $40,000
Seller does not say if the rest of the components to finish the 4×4 conversion are included If no walk away from this one as the pieces and parts to make it work are unobtainiom. Just somebodies unfinished project at this point.
It would be a pretty big undertaking making this into a real 4×4. I don’t think it was ever the intention to make it 4wd, just an easy way for them of getting disc brakes. Ironically, if this was a true 4×4, it would have a lot more appeal.
Wouldn’t be that big of a project to make it 4×4, they have a divorced transfer case. Mount that and get the correct driveshafts.
My Dad was lookingvery seriously at a crew cab about this time. He had a ’68 Chevy about this time and sort of needed to get his money’s worth before sending it down the road. But he and his buddy, from the IH dealership, worked out a deal and he ordered a1200D Short box, which would arrive bright and early in the late spring of ’69.
While I thought it was a good idea at first, in reality, it took a while to get my complete support. But what did I know? I was a 16 year old with raging hormones and I was more in favor of getting a “babe magnet.” But the truck turned out OK.
I don’t have a pic of Dad’s truck but I came across a rather beatup example to show the ‘One Year Only’ “Plum Metallic” paint job. Dad quite liked the purple and threatened to have all the ranch trucks painted that color. I’m glad he didn’t adhere to that threat…
sold for 9200