Who knew that rural Kansas had such cool school buses?! Or, at least they did 65 years ago. Looking like a fantastic project 4×4, this 1960 International Travelall V-120 4×4 is a former rural Kansas school bus, and it looks solid and much nicer than it should be after six+ decades. The seller has it listed here on eBay in Hays, Kansas, and they’re asking $9,000, or you can make an offer.
International Harvester made the second-generation Travelall for the 1958, 1959, and 1960 model years and it’s hard to believe that in just 14 short years, International’s pickups and Travelalls would go from these 1950s-looking designs to the crisp (some would say boxy and some would say worse) designs of the last models, and then they would be gone. 14 years isn’t a long time in human years, but in vehicle design and engineering, things really change. Of course, I didn’t have gray hair 14 years ago, so there’s that.
The seller has the rear bumper and other missing bits, so that’s good, right? It’s a bit crunched in the right rear and on the tailgate, but I don’t see really anything else that makes me gasp as far as major body work goes. Here’s where the Kansas kiddies used to sit, in the cavernous rear cargo area. These can be eight-seaters, but we don’t know how many young Kansans sat back there. The B-120 is a 3/4-ton model, the only one that was available with 4WD.
This is the only front interior photo, sadly. The seller says this Travelall was in storage for over 40 years, so that’s how it has remained in such nice condition. They say the front seat has been used as a buffet by several generations of rodents over those 40+ years. The glove box door is included, as is the ignition key. This would be an incredibly fun project 4×4, and that long shifter is great.
The engine is International’s 266-cu.in. OHV V8, and this one hasn’t been started in 45 years, so it’ll need work, but it turns over, so that’s good news. The radiator was stolen at some point, but I can’t imagine this engine staying in this truck for long after someone grabs this thing. How would you redo this I-H Travelall, back to (non-school bus) original spec, or a restomod?
Didn’t even know Kansas got much snow ❄️ 💁♂️
Maybe they don’t Stan. This thing doesn’t have much rust showing at all. Then again…… They cancel school when it snows so maybe it wasn’t exposed to salt? I don’t know much about the snow there either.
I love this thing!!! Scotty, since you asked….. I’d restore this truck back to stock. Including the yellow paint. Original V8, Original trans everything. I think it would be a hoot to drive restored. Even if the back seats are long gone, I’d probably leave it empty back there. It’s in remarkable condition. All things considered. I’d definitely keep that cool bell on the hood too. What a neat piece of history. Thank you for writing this one up Scotty, I enjoyed it. I truly hope this one gets preserved.
Hey Hays,,,I,,,,,,don’t think so. We have to bring out the big guns here, our resident expert on IH and rural living, Geomechs, but tis’ no school bus. Rural school buses had to be bigger than this, like shorty regular buses with dual rear wheels, just not this. They had a lot of area to cover and pick up as many kids as they could. Every farm had a few, at least. This would never cut it. What I speculate this is, is the school bus company’s service truck, and they had plenty of yellow paint lying around. Regardless of what it is, it will be a handful to drive, and it pains me to say, plop the body on a Ram chassis and be done with it. It’s an otherwise outstanding find. Anything 4×4 rusted to pieces in the very environment they were designed for.
H-A, they say the stop sign that folded out from the driver’s side is included? I thought we had seen an older Suburban “school bus” from a rural area before, but I couldn’t find it.
Howard, just Google “vintage rural school bus” and there’s some interesting stuff, a ‘60 Chevy Carryall/Suburban, etc.
This definitely fits in the category…
Cool find!
Back in the day, a school bus was whatever you could use. People my parents’ age came in an enclosed horse-drawn van. While most school buses were of 3-ton rating, there were some LWB Tonners with panel bodies that had windows and appropriate seating. They just had to meet the safety inspections (which might have been done every couple of years in our county) and you had a school bus.
I remember one outfit that went out to the Sweetgrass Hills area. It was a ’67 Chevy Van LWB with a 283/TH350. That one was used as a school bus and then the family used it as a family car, afterwhich a local hippie-type bought it, lived in it and drove it around for a number of years. I might add that the van still exists, albeit without the “school bus” sign. Oh, and it was never yellow (except for the sign); it was sky blue…
I had a 1972 Travelall, ugly, but efficient , in gas-chamber metallic green.
The Texas Highway Department had bunches of these back in the 60’s and when they came up for auction, there wasn’t much of a crowd. Jug Latham had one and it was a work horse. No frills, just a working truck that he could tow with, tiny rubber wheels and all. The only frill I remember on his truck, was in the rear window (driver side) he hung a gun rack. On that gun rack in true west Texas fashion, he put a trombone. You can’t make that sh*t up!
Used to see a few of these around when I was younger. Our family had one but my mother hated it. Dad finally sent it down the road in favor of a ’61 Dodge station wagon, that Dad immediately had to change from 14 inch to 15 inch wheels to keep the underbelly from getting beat up on those horrible roads to the ranch. But other families used their Travelalls to the point of replacing them with newer models and used the full-sized SUVs long after IH quit making them.
As far as what I would do if this one came my way, well, look at the picture. I borrowed this from cyber space, I might add. It’s been upgraded to 8-stud hubs but it’s my understanding that it’s still running the 264 six. Now, if I acquired this featured truck, I would keep the 266 because it’s capable of attaining better cruising speeds; the V8 would still be climbing while the six added an extra crankcase vent 1,000 rpm ago. I’d check out the axle ratios and try to find a set of 3.73s. Maybe add Vintage Air but I would drive it to hell and back. I might add that the B-120 is my favorite of the Travelall line…
Being born with a disability, I went to a lab school where they used rigs like these to transport the disabled students who went there. And while
our school used 3 door Chevy Suburbans, it was the same principal
of using vehicles like this to carry these types of students. Sure would love to have one like it!
Auction update: this one ended with no bids.