With production having ceased in the late eighties, plenty of time has elapsed for many Travco motorhomes to have fallen into some state of disarray. However, one of the real positives here is that the bodies were made from fiberglass, so at least the exterior wasn’t prone to deterioration. These were built on a Dodge chassis, and the Travco seems to be fondly remembered by most RV enthusiasts. This 1970 model here on Facebook Marketplace is currently a project, but it’s mostly complete and might be fun to get going again, if you’ve got the room to own this type of vehicle. Located in Cascade, Wisconsin, the seller has set his asking price at $1,000, which seems reasonable if or when the right buyer comes along.
Our thanks go out to Barn Finds reader Lothar… of the Hill People for finding this one and sending in the tip! That apparatus attached to the front bumper is a giveaway that this one’s not presently running, and it was likely pulled by something to its current location, which is a yard somewhere in Sheboygan County. This one’s equipped with a 318 engine, which is said to be turning freely, although the seller hasn’t had it running. Up front, the driver’s area looks fairly inviting for such a large RV by ’70 standards, so once this Travco is running again, it will probably be a fun motorhome to take out on a few camping excursions.
The rear occupants have an adequate number of seating arrangements, plus there’s a stove and sink for whoever gets summoned with cooking duties. Lots of cabinet storage space is present, and the owner also mentions that this one is equipped with a Kohler generator. One bit of not-so-good news is that the interior is said to have had water damage, with no explanation of what caused it. Hopefully, this wasn’t severe enough to result in any issues beyond just some cosmetic imperfections.
I’m quite keen on the rounded shape of the rear section, and the olive green paint is truly a defining color of late sixties and early seventies fashion. The steel bumpers are showing what looks like some potential rust, but there’s a possibility it’s just on the surface, although I’d probably inquire about whether the frame and platform are still solid before deciding if moving forward is a good idea. If everything checks out underneath, I believe one grand is a reasonable amount to invest in this 1970 Travco motorhome. What are your thoughts here?
That hitch has to be used to launch the boat right? Or hook up to your F150 and go for a wild ride down the highway.
One more trip for this old gal, although, I don’t think I’d pull my Jeep with that tow bar. I remember Travcos go way back, 1961, I read, and were called the “Dodge Frank Motorhome”, and was the design of a Ray Frank from Michigan, teamed up with Dodge, who provided the chassis, and VOILA! The motorhome was born. Oh sure, there were others before, but were basically motorized boxes, this was one of the 1st attempts at streamlining and fiberglass, and were very popular. I read, they only sold 131 units in 1961, but by 1969, that number was almost 23,000, so it was a hit. Once again, not for the thin of wallet, as in 1966, these sold for almost $12,000, the cost of a used home. That year the Winnebago came out and was a lot cheaper, but not near as fancy. The Travco was considered high class.
Water damage is so common from the roof, and will require a total removal, and have you priced a sheet of plywood lately? My old man would plotz. $250 bucks( 10 sheets) of plywood in the old Dodge wagon, preposterous. The plywood would be more than the wagons worth. Still, the “one more ride” would be to that undisclosed location in the UP of Mich. and pull the plug and live happily ever after,,
Looks like you’d have to drive that camper in reverse if you wanted to tow your Jeep with it.
Water damage? From the top down or the bottom up?
I used to have a trailer home parked in a piece of land in a picturesque place w. lots of trees around. A neighbor that maybe had dreams for the same piece of land that belonged to my ex-wife and me, damaged the roof window. That was the end of it despite me trying to cover it. The wind would blow away the covers i put and a replacement was unobtanium due to the fact that the factory had gone out of business, the rain did the rest. IMHO usually the damage in these homes starts from above.
One thing that always suprised me about these is that they used 318s. Its a good motor don’t get me wrong, but just seems a bit small for something this big.
I wonder if it runs, because why is there a tow bar on the front of it?
I think the reason for the 318 is Chrysler probably had warehouses full of 318s, as big blocks were possibly in short supply then. The old mans Winnebago had a 318, and I don’t remember it being particularly underpowered, it did the speed limit, 55 at the time, but a head wind caused a dramatic drop in gas mileage. After the Winnebago, the old man got an Escapade, and still a Dodge chassis, but a 440, and became the gas motor of choice for these. Quite frankly, I don’t recall the 440 did any better than the 318.
I had one of these, it had a 440 in it, of course I had it stored at a friend’s place, and he sold it out from under me.
Doesn’t sound like he was much of a friend. What a shame.
I have always lover there Travco motorhomes. I looked at quite a few over the years hoping for a suitable camping candidate but never finding the one that ticked off my price point and condition requirement. I have since moved on to a modern diesel pusher but still pine for one of these although I imagine I may get some push back from the misses after glamping in a luxury couch!
Lovely looking Travco. I’ve always loved this look for the Dodge Travco motorhome. I particularly like the horizontal speedometer. I’d buy one if I had someone willing to share the experience and responsibilities with.
I struggle with “title has been lost” stories. Every state has a process for the legitimate owner to replace a lost title. Here in VA you can get a new copy mailed to you with an on-line application. Danger Will Robinson.
Wasn’t one of these in the Cannonball Baker across the country race?
It would be nice to know what the mileage is and the length of the vehicle. Also, I assume it’s an automatic trans.
I believe this would be the “270” or 27 foot, the most popular one. I’m sure the mileage is in excess of the odometers mechanical limits,,I don’t think I’ve ever seen a modern motorhome with a manual trans.
I really like that motorhome. But it’s location is quite a haul for me to get it. I live in Florida.
Where is the leak at ?
Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream headquarters has their Travco that started their business.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DodgeTravco/posts/10160902436279143/
I’d love a Travco. This one’s too far from where I live to get to see it first hand. Hopefully it goes to a good owner. 🙂
This is cool to see. If someone was to say to me “picture a 1970 RV” this is what comes to mind. And with the colors and trim it certainly screams “1970”.
Do they do demolition derby’s with motor homes? This might be a candidate at $1k
If you could get it running for cheap.