Parked in a field for 30+ years, 68 Scout rescue and rehab

[BrokeGunner]

Hi, I'm new here and new to Scouts. I rode in one as a kid and always thought it was a fun vehicle that I hoped to own own day. Well, last Saturday I saw this one at auction and threw a modest bid on it and walked away, only to find out later I was the winning bidder.
I rented a car trailer Monday and drove up Donner to Sparks, Nv and that was the first time I had seen it in person. I was worried it might not have an engine because the auction description said "International Scout 800 Body - needs restoration" so i was hoping maybe 'body' didn't mean that's all i get the hood was propped open and I could see the 4 cylinder there and the old oil bath air cleaner still on it so that wad a good sign that it was all original.
I got it home that night and now I'm starting to work on getting it fixed up so it is driveable.
Here are some photos:

[71mtnscout]

Nice!! That hood emblem is worth $$$ they are hard to find and a 1 year only. Probably a 196 with a T18 4spd and Dana 20 Tcase, which is a good combo. There are specific ways to bring them back to life without hurting them in the process.

DO NOT PUT A BATTERY IN IT AND TRY TO START IT!!

On a SV engine that has sat for a long time you need to pull the dizzy, valve cover, and plugs. I shoot Marvel oil in the cylinders and change the oil and filter, and add a manual oil pressure gauge that you can see from the engine compartment. You can drive the oil pump through the dizzy hole with a drill and bring it up to pressure, verified on the gauge that you put on. From there I spin them backwards for 3 or 4 turns by the crank pulley bolt. Then spin it forward while spinning the oil pump again to verify that the rocker arms are oiling. If that goes well, put it back together with new ignition parts, rebuild the carb, and fire it up..... Thats what I do anyhow. It looks to be pretty stock and untouched. GOOD FIND

[BrokeGunner]

Thanks for the reply.

I did shoot MMO in the cylinders and the oil was very clean so I took a chance and started it up. It fired up and I shut it down until I can get the bugs worked out.

I found the LSS in the glove box along with the owners manual and original dealer invoice I found out it has the RA 23 Dana 44 with power lock. It says T-45 trans and only "transfer case" below that so I have no idea which TC I have. How can I tell the difference between a 18 and a 20?

The T-45 references a T18c which I am guessing is the close ratio T18.

[Greg R]

difference between a 18 and a 20?

Look underneath at the rear driveshaft. Passenger side output from the right side of the transfer case is a Dana 18; left side output would be a Dana 20.

You have quite the score there!! It looks very nice. The RA23 rear axle is a two piece, meaning the ends are tapered with a matching detachable hub the brake drum may or may not be swaged to the wheel studs. Usually to get the rear drums off, you remove the hub with a hub puller. More on that later when you get around to it. Start in your fix'ins with a Service Manual. The schematics alone are worth the cost. You'll find most of the wires are green; but they have numbered ends for identification seeing it looks pretty unmolested at this point, it shouldn't be hard to gett'in her back to road worthy again!

[BrokeGunner]

that was one of the first things I ordered from IHA, I should have the manual coming in next week.

One of the things I was concerned about was making sure the wheel bearings are serviced before I drive it and I saw a few threads mentioning the bearings are not lubed from the gear oil in the differential, so I guess I need to pull all of the hubs/axles to make sure they are greased properly?

I bought some gas tank sealer yesterday so I will be pulling the tanks and sealing them along with replacing all of the rubber fuel lines and blowing out the steel lines. The PO removed the mechanical fuel pump and covered the hole in the engine block with a piece from an old road sign. He has the wiper vacuum hooked directly to the intake manifold vacuum so I'm thinking I will put a non vacuum fuel pump and then deal with the wipers later, maybe switch to electric wipers at some point.

[71mtnscout]

Originally Posted by BrokeGunner

Thanks for the reply.

I did shoot MMO in the cylinders and the oil was very clean so I took a chance and started it up. It fired up and I shut it down until I can get the bugs worked out.

Hopefully you didn't trash the cam bearings, they like to seize or stick in an engine that has sat for a long time...thus the running of the oil pump to send oil through the engine and tuning it by hand.

It will have a Dana 20 Tcase with the rear D44 and the T18. That's the most common drivetrain for that year.

[Greg R]

You are correct, the wheel bearings are greased. Before you jump in with both feet, do the tanks even leak at this point? The point I'm going to is concentrating on essentials; separating what works from what doesn't. At this point you've mentioned wheel bearings and fuel pump/wipers. Nothing wrong with vacuum wipers if they're hooked up correctly. You might be able to track down a fuel/vacuum pump that fits; or the worst case is a rebuildable one and then some parts from a kit. It'll take time, sourcing and sleuthing, but it does come together in the end. Nothing like a working OEM Scout, or a least close to OEM.

Mine needed a lot of work too. I focused on road manners, drivability, and dependability. Ignition, fuel, wipers, shocks, lube changes, leaks both body and drive train, brakes etc. That took a lot of money right there even with hanging on to old stuff and making it work with the best parts and kits I could find. New fuel tank filler hose helped to stop leaks inside and out, and a gas cap up grade helped a lot too. IHPA sells some nice filler neck caps from billet aluminum, but there are others to shop around for too. Over 5 years I drove it a little, repaired , drove some more and repaired some more and got it dependable. From there another 5 years of transmission and axle overhauls, new clutch, added an overdrive, springs, body seals and mounts, and so forth so now it's comfortable for an all day drive or over nighter. It was beat pretty hard when I got it, and the electrician who drove it did not know automotive electrics so that took a lot of undoing and correcting also. A little humour, I told my daughter I threw in the towel and I was going to sell it. She told me she saw one just like it on the coast and had a conversation with it's owner. He told her if her old man decided to throw in the towel, tell him to step back for a month or two and decide then. (He went through the same frustrations) Bottom line, they're worth going the distance and to hang on to them. He was right.

[Greg R]

I took a closer look at your pictures. That paint job seems to me to indicate some kind of special edition Scout. Could you post a picture of the Lineset Ticket or build sheet?

[BrokeGunner]

Originally Posted by 71mtnscout

Hopefully you didn't trash the cam bearings, they like to seize or stick in an engine that has sat for a long time...thus the running of the oil pump to send oil through the engine and tuning it by hand.

It will have a Dana 20 Tcase with the rear D44 and the T18. That's the most common drivetrain for that year.

I checked yesterday and the TCase does have a centered output, so apparently it is a 20 as you stated. Thanks for the help on that

[BrokeGunner]

I worked on it quite a bit yesterday and made some good progress. It needed all new hoses and i was able to order them from the local O'reilly and they are supposed to be there this morning. I removed the smog pump and brackets which really opened up the engine for room to work on things. I still need to crimp the air nozzles or find plugs at some point.

I replaced the heater hoses with 5/8" gates hose. One was 44 and the other 42", figured i would include the length incase someone is planning to replace theirs. I'm planning to reuse the stock hose clamps at most locations since they seem to work well. I did want to change the large hose clamps on the radiator hoses byt O'reilly had only cheap import clamps that looked like junk, so i will try Napa today.

I pulled the starter and replaced the solenoid with a new one. The wiring was really burnt there so i got that all straightened out inluding all new batt cables.

I will post up some pics of what i am working on later today.

[71mtnscout]

Sounds like it's coming along, it probably needs mounts...they all do, and it's kinda a pain. They drive soooo much better with all new mounts and spring bushings. Almost modern lol.

[BrokeGunner]

I found out I have a 1904 carb and the throttle shaft is pretty wallered out. Luckily I have a friend who owns a carb repair shop so I will be taking it to his shop next week.

I still need to work out the fuel pump issue, but I think for now I will just keep the electric pump on the firewall for now.

I started working on the lights. The initial check showed the only thing working are the tall lights. I had to lube the headlight switch just to get it to move and I had no headlights. I checked the dimmer switch first and that tested bad so I stuck a piece of wire in the connector and we have lights! Probably the first time they've been lit in at last 20 years!

I moved to the back and tried to get the license plate light lit. Turns out it was unplugged and I had to remove the backup light housing to reach the plug and got it fixed but then the filament broke so I couldn't see it working
I did get a pic of the mud wasp nests that are ALL OVER this scout. No wonder this vehicle wasn't messed with too much over the years as it had an insect security system

I had replaced the solenoid and battery cables last week and I tried to spin the motor and there was no response. I knew the wires to the solenoid were...uh... crunchy would possibly be a good word lol. So today I pulled the wires off the solenoid and started checking the harness. Turns out the wires are cooked to the point that the insulation is a hard clump of stone like material. Now I have a plan to replace most of the wiring in the engine compartment and I will be replacing the alternator to get rid of the external regulator.

That's about it for this week's fun!

[71mtnscout]

Replace the 1904 with a 32/36 Weber, the difference is amazing.

[BrokeGunner]

Not much progress on my scout lately, but I'm hoping to get some free time soon.

Yesterday I drove it around my property for 10 minutes and got the water temp up a little and then I removed the diff cover off the rear housing. The lube looked pretty good draining out but when I got the cover off I found an inch of black sludge in the bottom of the housing so I used an old spatula and some paper shop rags to wipe out the housing. I cleaned the gasket surface with a 3M scuff pad wheel and reinstalled it with a new gasket and filled it up with Sta-lube 85-140w limited slip lube.

Now I need to do the same for the front housing, trans & TC. I have the fluid for the front but I need some info on what to use on the transfer case and transmission. I will do some searching here but if anyone has a minute to reply with that info I would sure appreciate it. I have a front gasket and i got a gasket kit for the transfer case so i figure i can just take the pto cover off to get all the nasty oil out?

On a sidenote- I ordered some parts from IHP for the black Friday sale and I was happily surprised to find a swag bag included with a coffee cup and since other cool stuff- very nice!

I'm still having problems idling... replaced points and rotor, that's all I could find in stock locally. I think I need to drain the gas tank again as it smells just as bad as it did before even though it is fresh gas. I think the sludge is melting off the tank bottom.

That's pretty much my progress report for now thanks for listening!

[BrokeGunner]

I haven't done much work to this old scout lately, but I have gotten plenty of work OUT of it!! I have been fencing off our 2.2 acres of property and it is quite a chore with this steep hill behind us. I must have made 40 trips up and down the hill with concrete, fence rolls, wire, posts, T-posts, tools, gas...etc etc. It may be not be clear in the photos, but this hill is almost too steep to walk up without slipping. The Scout goes up it like it's not there!!