As glamorous as a brick on wheels, the Travelall was produced from 1953 through 1975. By this time, IH was well established in the light-duty truck market, selling to farmers, contractors, and families who wanted rugged, go-anywhere haulers. The Travelall competed with Chevrolet’s Suburban, but it led the market when it delivered factory-installed four-wheel drive in 1956 and four doors in 1961. Despite its innovations, the Travelall suffered from a poor distribution system, rust, its ungainly looks, and a rough ride, so while the Suburban is still made, we have to sift through ads and wait patiently to catch even a glimpse of a Travelall today. Mike F did that work for us, when he passed along this craigslist offering: an unmodified 1971 Travelall, built on a 3/4-ton chassis with four-wheel drive powered by a V8, with an asking price of $12,000. It’s located in Centennial, Colorado.
The engine is IH’s 345 cu. in. V8, good for 197 hp and around 305 lb-ft of torque. Tough as nails, the engine could outlast the body. That said, with plenty of room underhood, swaps are common, to big block IH V8s, or outside the make toward the land of resto-mod. Gear changes are handled by a BorgWarner automatic, and a divorced NP205 transfer case puts the power to all four wheels. The seller notes that a major tune-up was performed “a few years ago”; at the same time, the carb was rebuilt, and the fuel lines were replaced. The tires are nearly new.
International Harvester never got the hang of luxury, falling well behind the market while Chevy’s Suburban and Jeep’s Wagoneer were decking their vehicles with bucket seats, plush upholstery, deep pile carpet, air conditioning, consoles, and extra trim. The Travelall is a brutalist exercise both in and out, proudly severe – like riding around in a breadbox. An investment in new upholstery will provide the only upgrade you really need here – there’s no carpet to be dirty, headliner to be torn, or door cards to be blemished.
The seller indicates the body has little rust and only one major dent. The glass is good, and the front winch is a great bonus. The paint is faded enough that it probably can’t be brought back, but that said, a gentle wax job might improve the look. If this rig were mine, I would probably service it and drive it as is; what do you think?
Nice one, Mike, there seems to be an outstanding amount of these coming up, a guy in town has a pickup like this for sale. I’ve never seen a starter motor power a winch before, and while it may be 4 wheel drive, it was a different world then, and there was a call for a slow going, all wheel drive, cargo carrying vehicle. Unlike todays modern 4x4s that glide down 8 lane interstates,practically by themselves,, there was a big movement, hippies mostly, to move to the hills, and this is how they got back there. The winch insured you to go where no person had gone before. Many are low mileage, because they just weren’t that much fun to drive. While the automatic is a plus, one test drive will produce horrors never before experienced( what is bump steer now?) and fuel,,,well, let’s just say much more compliant at .35/gallon than today. I can smell the gas from here. Nice find, be lucky to get a shred of what they are asking.
IH offered a nicer trim level with carpet, upholstery on the doors and you could even get woodgrain exterior trim. You’d still be spending Olds Custom Cruiser money at a farm implement dealership, so those are rare and this one screams “state highway department”.