Ziebart Zealot: 1971 International 1010 Travelall – Sold?

June 28, 2021 Update – We just confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found we’re assuming this ride “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

May 24, 2021 Update – While preparing for our latest Truckin’ Tuesday features, we came across a fresh listing for this 1971 International TravelAll.  the pictures, description, and price all remain the same.

As a child of the seventies who grew up riding around in the back of not one, but two, Scouts, I have a fondness and respect for all consumer products International Harvester produced through the 1980 model year. Growing up in Western New York also taught me that if you wanted any new car to last longer than the payment book, you immediately had it “Ziebarted” with their patented rust-proofing process.

One of those is the Chevy Suburban fighting Travelall such as this example originally listed in April 2021 on Craigslist in Terryville, Connecticut (New London) appears to be a low mileage survivor example offered at $17,000 currently. While Hagerty Insurance currently does not provide pricing guidance for these vehicles, the Collector Car Market Review Online Tool confirms the seller’s ask falls between this guide’s #3 “Good” estimate of $9,750 and its #2 “Very Good” appraisal of $17,600 before factoring in a fifteen percent premium for the optional 345 cubic inch V8 combined with what appears to be factory air conditioning.  While the 21K original miles helps, the fact this 1010 shows the famous yellow plastic Ziebart caps in a number of key areas is a testament to how well the process protected cars long before manufacturers figured it out themselves.

Through 1980, tractor and heavy-duty truck maker International Harvester offered consumer-based vehicles. While its Scout SUV is very well known, less famous is its  Travelall line of vehicles manufactured from 1953 to 1975.  Derived from the company’s truck line, the Travelall was a truck-based station wagon. One of the first competitors to the Chevrolet Suburban, the Travelall was a forerunner of modern people carriers and full-size sport utility vehicles.

The fourth-generation Travelall debuted in 1969 alongside IH’s new D-Series pickup trucks. Sized roughly between the Jeep Wagoneer and the Chevrolet/GMC Suburban, the Travelall was marketed as a truck-based station wagon. While still maintaining mechanical commonality with the Light Line pickup trucks, International had largely split the Travelall into a distinct model line, slotting it above the Scout SUV. Fourth-generation Travelalls came in either in 1000, 1100, or 1200 payload series. As with the third generation, the 1969 Travelall was offered in both two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. In line with the Suburban, the Travelall was also offered with up to three rows of passenger seating. While offered in a single trim level, the Travelall was offered in multiple interior configurations, ranging from relatively spartan to well-equipped versions sharing features in line with full-size station wagons (including exterior woodgrain trim).

This 1970 International Travelall commercial currently posted on the Osborne Tramain YouTube channel shows just how capable these truck-derived wagons were:

Fourth-generation Travelalls were rare to find when new, and poor factory rust-proofing when new make these an even rare site today. In this case, the low 21K original miles combined with the famous yellow plugs denoting a Ziebart rustproofing application likely saved this example from an early demise. We love how the bright red steelies shod with chrome baby moon hubcaps contrast what we believe to be the original paint.

The seller’s description is very brief, so you’ll need to interview him to get the history of this rare vehicle that blurred the line between the station wagon and SUV.

Here’s the seller’s description:

“1971 international Travelall
V8
Series 1000-1500
Automatic transmission
24,000 miles
Excellent condition and it runs like new
Please call Moe (contact info removed)“

Show or go: what would you do with this IH Travelall?  Comment below and let us know!