Eric,
I think you may have stumbled over some original equipment yesterday.
A glance at that auction site, drill press table, under $150, a not egregiously high amount. A dozen would fit. One was from a WT 900 and had the column clamp bolt under the table, was non-tilt, came with a custom made clamp loosening socket. You could swap the bolt with a Kipp handle from Zoro, though it would limit the vertical travel a couple of inches- you could use it except for those few times you need the extra height. Or mostly use a Gearwrench. It has a cutout up front so you can use a 12" long socket extension with minimal vertical clearance needed. Looks like the design does give you a tad more working space on the top. WT known as good but quirky.
Nicest to me was a tilting one from a Buffalo 15 that had a hole or 2 filled, but else spotless. Rust might leave some pitting, should be minimal. The single lever clamps 2 connected split collars with a fair amount of vertical separation. Should hold stronger with less pressure and probably easier to move. Carla sez Buffalos were made to the highest standards, so I'm sure it would have adequate heft with good adjustability.
Buy the original in good shape, or the best in better shape is what I say. Look them over and figure out best one for your needs, I really only just glanced at a few. Local would be cheaper.
On a separate note, I stumbled across a thread on OWWM (where I usually hang out) titled Great Find Walker Turner Drill Press. (His clearly was not a great find, yours is vastly better.) It shows his WT bearings as open. Since yours work smoothly and tight, if they are open/not shielded just flush the old grease out and add fresh grease, no need to replace. This thread (number 202998 ) also shows what it takes to remove the pulley and bearings, though yours may be a bit different if it is later.
Wade