This 1973 International Harvester Travelall is a true project, looking like it got dragged into a local salvage yard and left for dead. It may not be quite that dire, however, as the seller appears to have a large stash of vintage trucks in the background. But it may be the case that someone did give up on this classic wagon, built with the intention of combining International’s sterling reputation for durability with the extra space families needed to create an entirely new class of vehicle, complete with four four doors. The Travelall today is a desirable vehicle, but clearly in the class of being cheap to buy as a project and expensive to acquire once restored. Find the Travelall here on Facebook Marketplace in South Dakota for $2,500.
The Travelall was a pioneer, joining the likes of the Chevy Suburban and Jeep Wagoneer in creating a class of vehicles that remains a powerful force in the market today. The three-row SUV is perhaps one of the most popular designs of the last few decades, having now escalated into extremely high-end models loaded with luxury and technology features that weren’t even in the imaginations of car designers in 1973. The Travelall also played a starring role in the vehicle niche combining truck-based underpinnings with a wagon-style body. It’s not exactly a Subaru Outback, but the concept hasn’t changed much since the Travelall left the American roadway.
Speaking of its retirement, the Travelall was a casulty of a few different forces. One of the more powerful ones was the demise of the company itself, as various divisions of International Harvester were sold off throughout the late 70s and middle 80s. The company was under the gun to improve its financial performance, and the turnaround didn’t quite get there in time. Worker strikes and rising fuel prices also played a role, especially since trucks like the Travelall recorded abysmal fuel economy. Still, looking back a few years earlier reminds us that as a company, International Harvester had all the pieces in place to be a powerhouse for years to come – but it didn’t work out that way.
Today, you can still find Travelalls scattered across junkyards in the U.S. I know of one in my neck of the woods, and another in Tennessee, sitting with that gigantic grill still gleaming. As mentioned earlier, you can buy restoration projects for not much money at all, but fully restored examples will set you back. This one comes with the 345 V8, and while it’s not the range-topper 392, at least it’s not the base engine. The seller notes the body is fairly solid with rust contained to the floorboards and wheel wells, but it may be worst than that as he lists the possibilities for the Travelall as including being used as a parts truck. What do you think – should this Travelall be restored or harvested for spares?
My uncle had one new and sold it a year in because he said the handling was so dangerous. At one time this one was the top trim level of a family truckster.
These were nice in the day but not quite a Grand Cherokee or three door Suburban. Prices reflect that in a big way today.
My guess if this luxo barge in fact had the 400 engine option AKA 401 AMC it will be freed of that in a hurry as unmolested 401 bring the asking price of the whole rig and more.
The Scout and Travelalls used a lot AMC sourced parts. The IH big rigs for instance used Javelin and AMX door handles long after the cars were out of production. AMC parts vendor/snakes would buy them from IH and remove the packaging and list them for an AMX for $150.
What throws a wrench into the deal is shipping a non op. Not much truck traffic to and from SD. Do your research first. Don’t buy blind. Know your expenses upfront.
I had one of these some time ago, a 1970 model. Although the engine ran great, it was a gas guzzling rust bucket. The hood was held on only by the latch in front because the metal around the hinges was rusted away. Good thing there was a lot of head room in the passenger compartment. The rear wheel wells were all rusted out and when it rained I had to open my umbrella to keep the water from splashing all over my back.
To AMCFAN. The article says the engine is a 345 CID, which is an International engine which would run for at least 500,000 miles. International may well have used some body parts from AMC but the whole truck except for the automatic transmission which was Chrysler 727. All engines in these trucks were International.
I love a Wagoneer, but from a quality and robustness standpoint, these were head and shoulders above the Jeep. Great color too. Omaha Orange, I think it’s called. These actually didn’t use much from AMC except the the straight sixes, then the 401 engine in ‘74-‘75. Like AMC, they did use stuff from all over…but there was lot of that going on back then. Definitely no AMC door handles on these.
It seems to have typical, but not terminal rust. A serious cleaning, tires that hold air and set of wheel covers would go along way.