74 Scout II rebuild/restore

[Rentalman]

The things you learn during re-assembly. I should have mounted the radiator, inner fender/splash guards and the hood support together. It was a chore to get the radiator installed. I had to loosen the front body mount bolts and some of the fender bolts to gain some movement while a mechanic used a pry bar. Radiator and fan shroud are installed. For those of you who may be following this project and are attempting a build pay very close attention to sequence. Part of my problem is I've been rushing this project along on Fridays, the only day I have to work on it to get it home while taking care of customers needs at the same time. My previous owners just sold the business and the new corporate owner for a short time will allow me to get it to a point where I can trailer it out of there.

 

[Rentalman]

Yesterday with the help of MJ and Zaed of IH Parts America I was able to get my Steering Borgenson Joints installed, I've never done before as most phases of this project. Mainly I was unsure of how far to install the joints on the steering pump and steering column splines. I took pictures and emailed to sales@ihpartsamerica.com. MJ called me with advise and Zaed pointed out to me that I needed to cut the nipple off of the steering pump to with in 1/16th of an inch from the pump, any closer it would leak. Next Friday to finish I just need to apply Red Lock-Tite to the joints set screws and adjust steering column support with upper and lower column supports on the engine bay side and remember to tighten one of the steering pump hoses that I had to remove to gain access to work. The simple task of the day was installing the steering wheel and dash support bar.

 

[ihpartsjeff]

Looking great! Couple things to point out that might help you or others. When installing the steering column and lining it up to the steering box, at the tip of the column(where the nut holds down the wheel) has a line in it. Point that line up, center the steering box(pitman arm pointed forward), and install the borgeson joints. Doing it this way will make sure your turn signal cancel cam will be centered.

Passenger side door hinges are the same as the driver side. So if you have some passenger doors laying around they will work and are usually in much better condition then a set that came off of the driver side.

 

[Rentalman]

Looking great! Couple things to point out that might help you or others. When installing the steering column and lining it up to the steering box, at the tip of the column(where the nut holds down the wheel) has a line in it. Point that line up, center the steering box(pitman arm pointed forward), and install the borgeson joints. Doing it this way will make sure your turn signal cancel cam will be centered.

Passenger side door hinges are the same as the driver side. So if you have some passenger doors laying around they will work and are usually in much better condition then a set that came off of the driver side.

Jeff thanks for the advise. When I did install the steering wheel I did notice the line in the end of the shaft and I did point it up and I had the pitman arm pointed forward. At some point I need to adjust the tie rod as one of the front wheels is kicked out a little while the other is straight.

 

[Rentalman]

I've been quite busy lately with adjusting to the new corporate owners who acquired the family owned business that I've been working at for near 38 years. Luckily I got most of the hard work done on the Scout before the new owners told me I need to get it off of the property. Unfortunately I was unable to get it painted before preceding with the rest of the work.

 

[Rentalman]

This was about the third time I've had to pull the fenders partially off to get other body panels to fit. On this day I installed the grill and powder quoted bumper.

 

[Rentalman]

With the installation of the Hydro-Boost Brake set up the original hard lines to the master cylinder would not fit. I had to do some measuring and have a specialty brake shop make me some stainless steel hard lines. When I went to install I had to loosen the brake proportioning valve on the fender and do a little bending on the new hard lines to make them fit. A little work but they fit quite nicely.

 

[Rentalman]

The driver door has been a nightmare to adjust. It had a small dent toward the front of the door which was pulled out and repaired. The top hinge frame was slightly bent which we straightened. I could never get the door to adjust correctly. It had to much kick back pressure when trying to close. I eventually had to replace the upper and lower door hinges with rebuilt units. After installing the rebuilt hinges the door shut really nice with very little kick back pressure. I had to get creative as I am the only one to wrestle with the door. I used a bottle jack and some 1"x 2" screwed together that I had laying around the house. The 1"x 2" were sitting on a 4"x 4" on top of a milk crate acting as a teeter totter applying upward pressure on the door so that I could wedge a 1" x 2" in the door gap to push the door back as far as I could and make small adjustments with the door hinge bolts. The door gaps are better but not perfect. I bought new door catches. I was able to use the new door catch on the passenger door but not on the driver door. I used new parts off of the new driver side door catch to refresh the original door catch and was able to adjust the door to close shut and lock. Never throw any parts away, you may need them. I also installed the rebuilt windshield wiper motor and air intake top panel.

 

[Rentalman]

This is where I am at as of May 2022. I've recently installed my automatic transmission lines and I am now currently rewiring with the 14 circuit Kwik Wire Kit that I purchased from IHPA. I've finished wiring the ignition switch, steering column turn signal group, neutral safety switch (still need to wire to starter), brake light switch, parking brake switch, courtesy light switches, front headlights, marker lights, turn signals, rear tail lights, marker lights and turn signals (license plate light is partially installed). I'm trying to be as methodical as I can to lay the wiring out to not have any sharp bends in the wire or chaff up against any sharp objects. All wiring around the engine will be put in a DEI Heat Shield Sleeves due to the headers. All groups of wiring will have a band of electrical tape every 8" +/- then ran through black plastic wire conduit sleeves. I used the original factory rectangular holes to run my wiring through. I used 1" firewall grommets that actually fit pretty good. Later I will run a bead of silicone around the corners to fill in. This was an after though as my paint and body guy had already raptor lined my tub and forgot to weld closed the original cable holes so I could install new ones. I ran the tail light group along the passenger side of the tub using clamps and 1/4" push ties to secure rather than through the frame as original. Later I will be posting in the electrical forums as I have a few questions so I can continue on. Thanks for following the build.

 

[FDChappie]

Sorry you lost the sweet deal on the shop. Lots of progress though!

 

[Rentalman]

Sorry you lost the sweet deal on the shop. Lots of progress though!

Thanks FDChappie. On the positive side I now have the Scout at home where I can work on it more often then the Fridays that I was limited to. On the down side I will have to find a body shop that will disassemble the windows and door lock mechanism, remove the grill and the air intake top panel as not to have to tape off and get overspray in these areas. I have to admit the primer grey unfinished look has been growing on me.

 

[Rentalman]

The wiring is complete less throwing a battery in and a battery ground. I was not fond of the 50 amp maxi fuse holder that came with the Kwick Wire Kit so I found a holder that's over kill but I like it. It is a Blue Sea Maxi Fuse Block. Mounts to the fire wall nicely with three screws, thick contacts for the fuse and a sturdy case. I sent the dash out for powder coating in satin black and I reconditioned the gauges with new lenses, circuit boards, display decals and lights that I purchased from IHPA. I also freshened up all of the needles with a coat or two of high fluorescent red paint. The speedo gauge face was in good shape so I left it alone other than waxing it and replacing the card board on the inside that is used to directs the lights to left, right, high beam etc. Before I buttoned everything up I replaced the defroster hoses with new and the speedo cable.

 

[Rentalman]

Last weekend I replaced the OEM carb throttle linkage and kick down linkage with a Lokar bracket, throttle cable and kick down cable. Originally the Scout came from the factory with a 4-barrel carb. Since I went to a 2 barrel manifold and carb the OEM linkage would have needed modifications to work. Of all the searching I did on the internet I could not find another Scout or IH pick up that had my type of OEM linkage to get advise from. So I decided to go with the Lokar set up. I had to do some modifications to make the Lokar unit work. With a 2 barrel carb the Lokar Bracket does not leave you no room for adjustment to get full throttle. I had to cut down the throttle end about 3/8" in order to get full throttle. The kick down cable had no issues. Other than that a pretty simple install. Also installed a new gas pedal arm I sourced form IHPA.

 

[FDChappie]

Progress!

 

[Rentalman]

I apologize, I have not been keeping up with my posting....life gets in the way. I did not realize I was this far behind. Last October 2022 I started building my fuel lines. I used some rolled up metal wire that I had gotten years ago at one of the large home improvement stores. I braided three wires together so it would stiffen up, then I formed it from the fuel tank to the fuel pump. After forming the wire I took it to a brake shop so they could copy my pattern and make my fuel lines. I'm impressed it came out pretty nice. I used cushion hose clamps with toilet bowl rubber washers to cushion the vibration at the mounting locations. This series of pictures is the 5/16" fuel line from tank to under passenger side floor. I do not need to worry about exhaust heat because that will be run down the drivers side eventually.

 

[Rentalman]

Attached are the pictures of the fuel line going from under passengers floor to fuel pump. Sorry about the pics I don't know why they're uploading upside down. Where the fuel line is routed near the header exhaust heat I wrapped the fuel line in DEI Heat Sheath. Where the rubber hose fuel line attaches to the hard line I wrapped a larger heater hose around it so it would not wear on the brake line. I also had to change out my fuel pump with one that did not have the fuel inlet angled toward the engine mount.

 

[Rentalman]

Last November I took the Scout to one of the few muffler shops near me that would make a custom 2 into 1 exhaust that would clear the transmission pan for servicing. As much as I would have loved to have duals like I do on my 800B I decided to go with the 2 into 1 exhaust because of the tight squeeze next to the transfer case, plus I wanted to keep my fuel line away from the exhaust heat and I wanted to utilize the factory muffler heat shield on the drivers side. It was a pain having it towed, but at this point it has not been started yet. The shop ran 2 1/2" exhaust from the header collecters to the 2 into 1 to the Borla Muffler all the way out the back. I still need to wrap the exhaust with header wrap from the collectors to all around the transmission pan.

 

[Rentalman]

Late January of this year I scored some Scout II 8-spoke wheels that were in great shape. I only needed to beat on one wheel lip to get its curved shape back, sent them out for powder coating and had 33x10.5x15 BFG All-Terrain KO2's installed.

 

[Rentalman]

I spent my 4th of July installing my IH Parts America show bar so I could drill the holes for its mounting locations, then I sent it out for powder coating in Satin Black. In early August I installed my seats and the seat belts I purchased from IHPA so I could drill the holes for their mounting locations. If you have been following the build I had to replace the drivers side floor, mount and complete rear cargo floor (no mounting holes). Late August I purchased some premium heat and sound deading mat from the upholstery shop that will be re-upholstering my front and rear bench seats. For the most part this was a pretty simple install. The main tools to have for this install is a sharp box cutter and a hand held carpet seam roller as the one pictured that I purchased from Lowes. The roller enables you to roll the mat with a lot of pressure to aid in the mat adhering to the floor. Lastly I installed my carpeting. My upholstery shop told me to purchase the carpeting with the mat. The mat will help the carpeting hold its shape and lay better as your installing it, and it did! I used no glue to hold the carpet in place. I pushed a small sharp pick from under neath the floor through the seats and show bar mounting locations, then trimmed with a exacto knife. Finding the sheet metal screw holes for the transmission cover was a little challenging. I used a mirror to locate the holes, then pushed 2 1/2" nails threw the transmission cover mounting holes and carpet. With the the nails poking through the carpeting I used them as guides to install the transmission cover. Show bar has been installed, now I'm waititng for my seats to be upholstered.

 

[Rentalman]

Here are some install procedures and pictures of my CPT AC kit installation. I'm not a mechanic by trade, just a hobbiest, this is what worked for me so follow at your own discression. It was not difficult, I just had to think it through. Through trial and error I had to figure out how the condensor L-mounting brackets would be positioned to mount the condensor and how to route the AC hoses. On the condensor L-moutning brackets I had to drill additional mounting holes in the two on the passenger side because the predrilled holes did not line up with my factory mounting holes. The flat plate that was included in the kit was to be used with a supplied metal clamp to secure the dryer. I wanted to use my original dryer clamp so I was able to cut about an inch off of the flat plate to make it fit, drill mounting holes and mount it under the L-brackets to the original dryer bracket. The dryer that came with the kit has a smaller diameter than the original Scout dryer. So it was loose in the OEM dryer bracket. I added two sided insulation foam around the clamp which now securley holds the dryer in place. It took me a couple of attemps to route the hoses. The reason why I chose this kit is because IHPA prefabed the hoses. I could have gone another way but that ment spending a couple hundred dollars on a tool that would possibly be for a one time use. The metal oval shaped plate that attaches to the engine bay side of the firewall that the AC hoses mount to, I had to mount it diagonally and use the original mounting holes in the firewall to mount it to. Luckily it does look good and covers the hole completely. I do not own any type of small angle drill where I would have been able to drill holes in the fire wall in the tight area so I could have mounted the plate level. After trial and error, the hoses that go to the firewall through the oval plate with the straight fittings, get secured to 90 deg fittings on the interior side of the firewall and route over the heater box then down. I originally went straight down with the hoses on the interior side through the gap of the heater box which did not have enough hose length to reach the under dash AC unit, frusturating. Mounting the under dash AC unit was pretty straight forward. It made it nice to mount it having my seats at the upholstery shop. You will need to trim the R-AC under dash mounting bracket where it attaches to the R-dash mounting bracket because it will cover the courtesy light hole (you need to just cut the corner off enough so it is not in the way of the courtesy light bulb). You also will need to drill a hole in the R-AC under dash mounting bracket in line with a predrilled hole in the R-under dash mounting bracket to secure the brackets to one another. On the brackets them selves where the mounting bolts goes thru them to each side of the AC under dash unit you may need to grind that mounting slot wider to accomate the wider dia mounting bolts. The kit instructions offered no detail for the mounting brackets as it is a universal kit. The wiring was real easy as expalined in the instructions. All that I need to do now is have the system purged and charged.

 

[mtnscoutiigrl]

Parking brake cable is installed and adjusted. Not much to mention here.

Hi! I was wondering if you found a non IH cable that can be substituted or if found IH part? I have a 74" Scout II 6c-258 4.2l. I have the part number and have found it available. Just wondering if there is a cheaper substitute. I have budget for this and want a good portion of that to go to body restoration and paint since the engine is in pretty decent shape.

Happy Scouting!

 

[Scoutboy74]

Hi! I was wondering if you found a non IH cable that can be substituted or if found IH part? I have a 74" Scout II 6c-258 4.2l. I have the part number and have found it available. Just wondering if there is a cheaper substitute. I have budget for this and want a good portion of that to go to body restoration and paint since the engine is in pretty decent shape.

Happy Scouting!

Sorry to butt in here, but as far as I know, this is one of those "vehicle specific" items that there really is no substitute for besides the genuine article.

 

[mtnscoutiigrl]

Sorry to butt in here, but as far as I know, this is one of those "vehicle specific" items that there really is no substitute for besides the genuine article.

No apologies necessary. I am pretty new at all of this and just don’t know what I don’t know. I am not sure how to go about finding if different make/model parts will retrofit. Any suggestions of when to try and sub parts and when to go with vehicle specific parts?

I have really enjoyed the journey of this thread. I don’t have the space to do full off body stuff by myself, but it would be amazing.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Happy Scouting!

 

[Scoutboy74]

It takes time spent reading through the forums and some real world trial and error to develop a decent feel for when and what to cross over. Some, but not all igntion, charging, and starting system parts cross with other vehicles as that stuff is largely Delco (GM). Let's take a starter motor for example. The motor portion itself is a common GM part, but the nose cone portion is IH specific. So you can't just take a starter from a '75 Chevy 350 engine and bolt it directly to an IH SV8 engine. An IH nose cone would have to be swapped onto the donor starter motor first. Fortunately, the authorized Light Line vendors such as IH Parts America who owns this forum, has a good selection of new and used parts for these rigs. That helps take the guess work and mystery out of the selection process in many cases.

 

[Rentalman]

Hi! I was wondering if you found a non IH cable that can be substituted or if found IH part? I have a 74" Scout II 6c-258 4.2l. I have the part number and have found it available. Just wondering if there is a cheaper substitute. I have budget for this and want a good portion of that to go to body restoration and paint since the engine is in pretty decent shape.

Happy Scouting!

Hi there mtnsoutiigirl. All the worn out parts that I have replaced have been Scout II specific parts. The parts may cost more, but they fit and work correctly. I understand about the budget for body and paint. Just my 2 cents, where you can afford it put the money into the mechanical operation of the Scout before paint and body. I'd much rather have a mechanically safe reliable rig that I can drive. Paint and body can come in due time. Between now and then you may change your mind on color as I have while rebuilding my Scout. I have changed color in my mind half a dozen times. I'm glad I waited. When I do paint it's going back to the original sunburst yellow color. I hope this helps.