Among the numerous Cadillac-based ambulance conversions there stands this rarity: an International Travelall that did duty as an ambulance before being parked for two decades and pillaged for parts. Perhaps it wasn’t rare 20 years ago, but nowadays I can’t recall seeing one in recent memory. Though it is rusty and the seller admits tearing off more than a few parts over the years, I’d like to think this one can be restored or at least keep another Travelall ambulance on the road. Find it here on craigslist (go here if the ad disappears) and thanks to Barn Finds reader AMXBrian for the find.
The amount of sag behind exhibited by the doors and the body leads me to believe the chassis has effectively become one with the mud. The seller says he has “…removed the left rear spring assembly”, so that may contribute to the sensation of collapse we see here. Seeing the acres of good glass is encouraging, as perhaps the interior has stayed dry. The glass, doors and roof panel are likely unique to the ambulance conversions in some way, and I have to believe another Travelall ambulance owner would love to grab this example for the extra parts.
The price of $600 seems more than fair for a good parts rig, but it’d obviously warm our hearts to see it restored back to its former glory. It’s hard to tell just how rough the body is, but paint does appear to be on the verge of flaking off in large chunks in places. Given these ambulances did duty in small municipalities, you have to imagine tight budgets would mean working rigs like this were patched together as they got older. I dig the taillights and rounded proportions, as International’s vehicles became increasingly squared off over time.
Over the years, ambulances and hearses made by Superior Coach / Miller-Meteor showed that vehicles intended for somewhat somber activities didn’t have to resemble two blocks on wheels. The use of existing 4x4s and long-legged cruisers is a bygone era, and surely there can’t be many of these ambulance-conversion Travelalls left. Even if the chassis were heavily rusted, do you think this one should be brought back to life, or is it destined for parts vehicle status?
It’s fitting that this ambulance’s final act was to keep other vehicles alive and on the road.
With the extra length and height, this would be a great unit.
But in it’s current state, someone will need DEEP pockets to restore it.
I’ve always been a proponent of restoring vehicles back to their old glory. This one isn’t so far gone that it’s beyond repair; it would be quite a project for sure. Binder parts are out there but you have to do some scrounging. On the other hand, there is a lot of support as well….
It would be tough for an old trucker to share your enthusiasm and positive attitude. Negativity and trucking went hand in hand, Murphy’s Law reigned supreme,,,every day. I must say, this is for that one person that actually has a Travelall they are redoing, and finally found that left tail light lens they’ve been searching for,,,
Oh,C’mon, Rube, negativity among the trucking crowd. You haven’t met many farmers, have you? ‘Damn! If it doesn’t rain next week, we won’t even take the combine out of the shed.’ Said before he harvests a bumper crop. ‘You got no idea how tough it is to make a living farming!’ My response to that: ‘How do you like your new Duramax?’ My favorite: ‘It just costs too much to live in AZ all winter. We didn’t dare go down until the end of November and had to come back the middle of April.’ ‘Duh!?!’ Hockey mom with her new $87K Surburban. ‘We had to get a Suburban so we could register it as a farm vehicle and burn the cheaper, dyed gas; it would cost us a fortune to keep it on the road otherwise.’ They got it so tough. Of course there are a lot who do have it tough. But take a look at the guys I went to school with, most of them were pretty much retired by 50. They go to the BJ auction and can actually afford to buy a collector car, then come to me for tips on keeping it running. There’s some mechanical negativity for you….
Extremely tough simple vehicles easily restored. The stretch frame is very interesting. Must have been done by the ambulance conversion company. It would be a useable promotion vehicle for a band or something like that. No junk unibody here, lift the body off the frame, sandblast and build from the ground up. Good 345 V8, a trailer with matching paint and signage to pull behind it. It would be a hit. I could invasion it on an album (do they make those anymore?) cover.
Most IH ambulances that I’ve heard about tended to be municipal ambulances rather than private companies. There were many based on the Suburban too. This is the first one that I’ve seen that was lengthened. That might also explain the bend as the frame was probably stretched too.
That’s true. When I was a kid, early 60’s, Milwaukee had IH police ambulances. Before paramedics, the police would transport you to the hospital, survival was iffy, at best. They used basic white Travelall’s until the 3 door Suburban’s came out. This, I’d bet, was a private company.
Actually these were built on a standard length Pickup chassis which were available in much longer wheel bases than the 119″ of the Travelall.
Parts car or scrap. It doesn’t make sense to restore.
Steve R
this wouldn’t have any appeal even if it were in ” decent” shape, it has been there for years I say too far gone
I did not know there was a market for ” left rear springs “
Indeed there is! Alas there is a glut on the market of “right rear springs…”
The International TravelAll ambulances by Springfield were super-good ambulances in their day; and I’m sure this one was no exception. The only hightop International ambulance I’ve ever seen was a ’65 Springfield International that belonged to a funeral home (North’s, I think) in Abilene, TX. Really liked that one. In 1965 brothers Jim and Nate Cawley moved their ambulance operation known as Baker Ambulance from Baker, MT to Odessa, TX, making them the first private ambulance co. in Odessa. Two funeral homes: Hubbard-Kelly and Rix Funeral Home, where I had worked since 1963, both exited their ambulance services in 1966, leaving Baker as the sole ambulance provider until 1973 or thereabouts, when they shutdown, allowing Odessa Fire Dept to take over EMS duties. When the Cawleys came to Odessa they brought with them a lowtop 1962 International TravelAll ambulance and a stretched 1960 Pontiac ambulance. I ended up working part time for Baker until I left for Texas Tech in 1968. The nice thing about working for Baker is that I learned a lot about patient care from the Cawleys, as Montana already had ambulance services training EMTs early on. The ’62 International they completely re-did early on, totally revamping the patient compartment by adding a partition with cabinets and a new rear floor. In 1971 I took over the operations of a standby ambulance service in Lubbock which had been part of a C.B. REACT group; and in 1972 we bought Baker’s ’62 International. That would become our first truck-type ambulance, as we had been using coach-type and station wagon ambulances since the standby service had begun in 1970. We got a lot of good service out of that ’62 International, and in the late ’70s were given another International: a ’63 model that had belonged to Metropolitan Ambulance in Amarillo. That old “Binder” had become nationally famous, as it had been used in the RoundUp Herbicide TV ads for some time. We got our share of good service from the ’63, too, until it was retired in the early ’80s. While the new large truck ambulances are super-nice and a lot more oriented to total patient care than what we had to work with “back in the day”, I still miss those old Internationals and the fleet of Suburbans we later ran.
I was watching the old hawiee 5 0 last night and I would of loved to have that chevy truck they used for civil defence. Bruce
I know of a 64 IH regular wheelbase ambulance that my dad sold new and used here in Beaver Dam Wi. for years. Ive had my eye on it and this one makes it look like a good candidate for restoration!
Stretching the body actually gives it better proportions than a regular wheelbase model. Would love to see it mildly modified & back on the road.