Idaho Todd’s 1963 Traveler update (see the before photos at the bottom of the post). Todd wrote the following about arriving at the seller’s place to purchase the jeep:
The Traveler headed to Idaho from Oregon.
After some visiting, we struck a deal that I think we were all comfortable with. The fella helped us load the traveler and we were off. Boy, you would of thought we were hauling a shelby mustang by all the attention we were attracting! Plenty of on lookers at fill-ups and bathroom breaks.
Made it back to Sandpoint and the next morning we were going to back it off the trailer when I hit the key and she fired (after a jump start)! I had bought it as a non-runner so this was delightful! To my amazement, the speedometer, both gauges and most of the lights worked! I drained and filled the boxes, checked the brakes and we were off.
When I got back to the shop, I soaked it with a degreaser and power washed it. It turned out stunning! I sure like the patina but I think it’s headed for a full resto on of these next winters. It needs front foot pans and some investigating around the top. Other than that, I am very pleased. In the meantime, I think I will enjoy it for a while. She runs great. Thanks everyone for sharing this experience with us! More to follow soon…
Pictures of the wagon prior to its sale:
Still a lot of wagon here. Seems really cheap if that’s the right asking price
Price was upped to $1500 quickly.
I’ve got a message into the seller. We will see…
Wow! A stock 4×4 Traveller complete with roof rack, rear step bumper, GSA plate, oil bath can, winch… what a deal. Good luck Idaho Todd. (I have a ’64 Traveller – contact me later if it works out and you’d like more info on Travellers).
You got it, scramboleer. I know just enough to get me into trouble!
Wow, drool. That is a great price.
Bill
This is about an hour and half from me. I almost might go look. Where is my extra money?
Yeehaw everybody! I got it! He did a cool little auction locally and by phone. I had my brother on speaker phone with me sharing the experience the whole time! We had a ball! I can’t wait to share it with all of you…time for a visit scramboleer!
Congrats Todd. Outstanding. We’d love pictures when you get a chance (and the Teavller in your possession). I’d love a pic of the GSA plate on the glovebox door.
You got it!
Congrats Todd! Just another reason to visit Sandpoint 🙂
Thanks Dave! I’m so excited, I think I’m going to leave tomorrow. I hope it’s as nice as the pictures. The fella was real nice to work with. Any info and good stuff to sent my way would be awesome. Thank you!
I went down and looked at the wagon. It had fibreglass all the way around the roof on the gutter line , and the metal on the headliner tack strip area will need quite a bit of attention that the pictures did not show. The rest of the wagon is there and pretty solid. It is restoreable for sure. I did not bid on it though. It will be a good project you should enjoy it.
Idaho Todd: I was the other bidder! Glad it went to someone on here. In the end it just went over the value I saw it being worth (keep in mind I have an additional $1,300 cost built-in as I’m in NY and have to ship it cross-country).
Enjoy it – and please share the pics of the progress!
DH
Todd,
You should head on over to OldWillysForum.com and start a build thread. You can be as active as you want on there. Also there are some pretty sweet builds on there, including ones from a guy who re-did an ultra-rare windowless Traveller as well as a guy who has a few Travellers and Parkways. Finally,Bill Norris wrote a great article on Travellers for “Vintage Truck” a few years back.
Dan,
Pretty excited about this “new to me” wagon. All I’ve ever done is flatties and round fenders. I sure appreciate the offer to visit with you, I am in need of knowledge. I’m hoping that this wagon is the real deal. Ive always wanted one. I’ll be on the road in a couple of hours to go get it with my father in law and would love to visit with you (don’t worry, got Bluetooth in the truck). My email is o2bndmountains@msn.com if you want to send me your phone number or I’ll reply mine back to you. Thank you Dan.
Ok fellas, dad and I are bunking up in a Comfort Suites hotel just outside of Yamhill, OR. I had a nice visit with a new friend this morning about the traveler wagon we are scheduled to confirm in the morning. Unfortunately, he had already been to the “traveler farm” and confirmed some fiberglass repairs and some other issues that weren’t disclosed. I headed this way with this knowledge anyways to “keep my word” to the fella. I’m going to keep an open mind and give it a shot in the morning. Stay tuned and I will check back in tomorrow…in the meantime, brother, craigslist us some parts in the area! Oh, and give me a shout scramboleer. Thanks! Merry ewillys to all and to all a good night!
So I stumbled across this thread again and seen that I never reported back in. Well dad and I went to the little vinyard and discovered what we already knew. After some visiting, we struck a deal that I think we were all comfortable with. The fella helped us load the traveler and we were off. Boy, you would of thought we were hauling a shelby mustang by all the attention we were attracting! Plenty of on lookers at fill-ups and bathroom breaks. Made it back to Sandpoint and the next morning we were going to back it off the trailer when I hit the key and she fired (after a jump start)! I had bought it as a non-runner so this was delightful! To my amazement, the speedometer, both gauges and most of the lights worked! I drained and filled the boxes, checked the brakes and we were off. When I got back to the shop, I soaked it with a degreaser and power washed it. It turned out stunning! I sure like the patina but I think it’s headed for a full resto on of these next winters. It needs front foot pans and some investigating around the top. Other than that, I am very pleased. In the meantime, I think I will enjoy it for a while. She runs great. I’ll try to forward Dave some pictures to share. Thanks everyone for sharing this experience with us! More to follow soon…
The color is what sparks my severe like for the (your) Traveler. Maybe I can stop by and drool on it the next time on my way through to my sisters whenever that may be.
Blaine, you’re more than welcome to stop by anytime!
I’ll reorganize this post with the newer pics for monday.
Yeah baby! You better let me drive it when I’m there next month.
Congrats Idaho Todd, That is a relay cool score. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it.
Nice find Todd!
Congrats, Todd. That is WAY cool… just the way it is, even 🙂
BTW (about to show my ignorance here), why would it have a GSA plate? What branch of the government bought this and kept it original color? I’m mostly only familiar with GSA vehicles for military use and they typically got military colors …and “white polyurathane” when I lived on the island of Kwajalein (most corrosive environment documented by the Navy).
I love your Traveller Todd. Congrats! Any pics of the inside? What a sweet find.
GSA would be military, border patrol, or forest service. My Traveller has the holes for the GSA plate in the glovebox lid, but the plate is long gone after a previous owner “restored” the interior in the 70s. Since it came from Texas via Arizona, I assume it was border patrol.
Well done Todd! I can relate to the drive home when I had my 45CJ2A behind me, people honking thumbs up and the rest stops were crazy (no rest). I had purchased my jeep from pictures only(Damn Lucky maybe Foolhardy) but was surprised when seller asked me if I wanted to take it for a spin before loading it. Everything worked but needs attention here and there. I used it all last summer and I’ve been driving it for the last three weeks. Next week my road trip starts hauling my multi jeep purchase from N. Michigan. Again Todd excellent story and pics . I like it just the way it is.
Thank you to everyone for your kind comments on the traveler and thanks again to Dave for doing a little spotlight for me on this awesome Web site. I will do my best to keep everyone in the loop. Unfortunately (and fortunately financially), it’s now my busy time of year being as I own a boat service and storage business. It will be chaos until all the boats are out. I hope to have time to at least read and comment really early in the morning before work so I can keep in touch with everyone. So many jeeps, so little time…
Todd
Glad to see its going to a good home. I was one of th guys bidding. I have 2 travelers with winches and roof racks. We need to try and get together some time I come visit my buddy at his lake place by sand point. I had bunch of cash in my pocket and my trailer hooked up to go down there. The one thing that I noticed is that it didn’t have the cut fender wells with the bench seats. Are you going to leave it original or restore it
Jim
Hello Jim, I’m going to enjoy it original for now. I think it’s very worthy of a frame off and will head that direction in the next few winters. You are more than welcome to stop by anytime and talk jeep. I think that is the only anomaly that the rear fenders are not flat topped. I can only guess that maybe the govt. ordered it with the 2nd regular bench seat. I have no info either way. You never know with willys and kaiser…my email is posted ealier in this thread I’d you ever want to visit sooner.
I don’t have anything meaningful to contribute but I love the look this has. 🙂
Mitch, that comment alone is meaningful to me and thank you!
Hi
I’ve got a 64 Traveler. Mine is Border Patrol green. I’d like to see more of the spare mount on the roof and the inside. Mine had an extra 12 gal tank that fills behind the drivers door.
Kevin,
We’d love to see pics of your Traveller. I have a ’64 as well with the second tank that I think was formerly Border Partrol in Texas/Arizona. Maybe Dave could post them here and/or you could share them on http://www.oldwillysforum.com.
Cheers!
Hello to everyone.
I’m in Georgia and own the Traveler that Todd pulled out of the weeds. I think it went through three or four owners before I got it. Picked it up in Oklahoma, June 2021. Runs, stops and steers pretty well. It will need a top. So if anyone reads this, I’m Fifty on Oldwillys.
Hi “Fifty”,
Thanks for the update! It sounds like it has found a good home. Have fun with it!
– Dave