79 Scout 2 Buildup

R

ryangarner

Member
First off let me just say I am super excited to be apart of this website and community. I am a newbie when it comes to internationals and so I would love constructive criticism from anyone of you awesome members. This is my first Scout and my first vehicle. My goal is to get this tough piece of iron into better shape and use it more as a daily driver. It will see some off road use as well especially during archery season! :d I decided to pull the engine and tranny so I have removed the fenders, hood etc.
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The po had some how broken the front driveline which in turn swung back and smacked into the tranny. The case is cracked and leaks fluid pretty bad. But before I go much further I have to make a important decision. Any feedback would be great. Should I take out and rebuild the IH 304 that I have or should I look into swapping it out for a Chevy 350 or possibly Ford 351. Now I understand that the International engine produces uncanny amounts of torque which is great offroad .but being that my goal is a dependable daily driver I am more concerned with future upkeep costs, economy, and the ability to add alot of different aftermarket and performance parts. I have already read some other post of owners putting in a Chevy 350. So have at it boys, lets hear what you gotta say. :icon_biggrin:
 
Hello my young friend.
You have no idea what a wonderfully frustrating journey you have begun. But, if you stick it out you will be very happy with the rewards. In any project of this magnatude it only matters what your own goals and wishes are. Governed only by your time, patience, and finances. However, this site is by far the mother load of information, and "correct" how too's, and parts.
Good luck with your project.

Ps. I'd keep the IH powertrain.
 
Welcome to the family bro, you have just joined a very rare clan of individuals. For myself binders are a love/hate relationship, sometimes more hate then love. But I'm addicted and I hope you will be to. By purchasing this IH relic you have opened a can of stinging bees that produce an oh-so-sweet honey. I will admit that scouts are not cheap builds, especially their muscle makers. I'm building a turbocharged 304 right now and have invested more money then I thought I was going to, but if you want something that almost nobody has your gonna have to pay for it otherwise go with a "me-too" vehical, :frown2:( a big three maker or a foreign job).:out:

now for the engine delimma, my advice is stay with IH if you want to a reliable engine. There are upgrades that will give you better fuel economy and performance, start reading the forum through and through and start studying and when you have a question someone will help you, I promise. There is a plethera of IH knowlegde as well as non-IH.

Happy scoutin
jc
 
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I already am feeling that love/hate relationship but what can I say..... I am addicted. :) so I have been considering keeping the 304 but I have also been looking into possibly a diesel swap. Haha. This would be a big undertaking but have done some research and know that it can be done. I am looking into the 6.9 International diesel that is found in the Ford pickups. That kind of swap would give me the better economy I have been looking for plus some good torque for the off roading I might see. Plus it would keep the Scout all International. :) haha. But I still have some time before I have to make any big decisions. Next week I can go purchuse a two ton engine hoist for a hundred bucks. Sweeeet! :) that should be able to pull up that beefy engine and tranny.
 
Welcome, its indeed a love/hate relationship. If your intent on swapping the motor the 6.9 sounds good. I kept my IH power train and if has never left me stranded and even better its never made me late for work when it was my daily drive. There are a number of thing you can do to help fuel cost and as I have learned all the help and parts can be found here.
 
Thanks orange74. I have decided that I am going to keep it all International. Not sure if I will swap the 6.9 or not. It is still an option. But I was thinking about maybe throwing in a 345. It appears to me that the 345 has some better options as far as parts etc. Something for me to consider. Would it get any better fuel mileage with some new parts compared to a 304?
 
Short answer: no. When it comes to the IH sv8 engine, all things being equal as far as state of tune is concerned, the larger the engine, the larger and heavier the rotating mass. The internals on these engines are over-engineered compared to big3 small block passenger car v8's of the same era. They were engineered to run at their peak rpm @4k for long duration continuous duty cycles, as opposed to intermittent bursts of 5k plus. IH stands for its heavy. Forget eye-popping fuel economy. The best thing you can do is make sure your ignition and fuel systems are in tip top condition and keep your damn heavy foot off the loud pedal.
 
Yeah I had figured that was the answer I would get. Thanks scoutboy74. :cornut: problem is, its soooo fun to floor that pedal. Lol. Well not for fuel mileage. Anyways thanks for the feedback. I suppose I will just plan on using the 304 and updating as much as possible. Maybe save up for TBI. I have time just not money.:icon_wink: first I plan on trying to save the rest of the body from rust. That should give me time to save for the drivetrain etc.:ihih:
 
I hear ya kid. The 392 with 4bbl in my hooty Scout likes me to "open her up" a bit every now and then. I get some disturbed looks:incazzato: when I kickdown into passing gear and slingshot past unsuspecting prius owners with the muscle Scout in full throat. 'course I'm burning 30 times more fuel than they are in doing so, but at $3.30 a gallon for horse piss alky-gazz, a guy can't afford not to have a little fun. :icon_xd:
 
Haha:cornut: amen to that scoutboy. Boy a rebuilt 304 with TBI, an updated ignition system and maybe someday a turbo or supercharger......:ihih: I can sleep in peace thinking about that. By the way. Are the sv engines tricky to rebuild. I have read some posts with guys complaining that the shop didn't have the knowledge to rebuild it appropriately. If that is the case, does anyone know a reliable shop in northern washington (spokane city) where I could take the motor and rest in peace that they did their job right.:icon_wink:
 
I've never rebuilt one myself, but what I know is this. They're just engines with heavy duty internals. The most critical assembly part being the cam bearings. Making sure the oil spit holes are properly aligned and that they are perfectly seated in their bores. You only get one shot at doing them correctly. If you miss-align, that new bearing has to come out and you try again. This is the part that even experienced engine builders have been known to screw over badly on an sv. As you can imagine, any engine that doesn't lube the top end ain't long for this world. That's the most common problem folks experience with reviving an old dead dog that's been sitting non-rotated and bone dry since ronny reagan was in office. And really it doesn't take that long even to be a concern. 1 year of non-roto is plenty long enough to where a guy should take some pains to pre-lube before cranking over. That goes for just about any engine though, not just IH.
 
So I have not made any progress recently. Not enough money or time, something we all suffer from. Plus I injured myself lifting weights:icon_stressed:. Couldn't move around real well. Anyways enough complaining :icon_biggrin: I have been browsing my options for a powerplant and have been looking at possibly rebuilding the 304. I found a website that offers rebuild kits that include a melling stock style camshaft, federal mogul lifters, melling timing set, federal mogul pistons, sealed power piston rings, federal mogul rod bearings, federal mogul main bearings, durabond cam bearings, melling oil pump, melling frost plugs, and victor gasket set. The website is northernautoparts.com. Would this be a good place to buy this stuff from or can I get it all from IH Parts America cheaper:wink5: thanks for the help:d
 
Well you'll have to call IHOnly up and find out, I know that IHOnly will have comparable products but, northern auto caters to many different auto makers so their IH knowledge will be lacking, trust me... IHOnly backs their products with years of knowledge. Just know that if you go with northern auto's products you'll have to call them and talk to their customer service for all questions associated with their products.

Also know that rebuilding a IH engine can be upwards of three to four times the cost of a big three throwaway engine.
If your gonna stick with the Scout engine rebuild it the right way. Check my build out http://www.forums.IHPartsAmerica.com/readers-rides/2501-my-first-Scout.html
 
ryangarner said:
so I have not made any progress recently. Not enough money or time, something we all suffer from. Plus I injured myself lifting weights:icon_stressed:. Couldn't move around real well. Anyways enough complaining :icon_biggrin: I have been browsing my options for a powerplant and have been looking at possibly rebuilding the 304. I found a website that offers rebuild kits that include a melling stock style camshaft, federal mogul lifters, melling timing set, federal mogul pistons, sealed power piston rings, federal mogul rod bearings, federal mogul main bearings, durabond cam bearings, melling oil pump, melling frost plugs, and victor gasket set. The website is northernautoparts.com. Would this be a good place to buy this stuff from or can I get it all from IH Parts America cheaper:wink5: thanks for the help:d
Click to expand...

One individual owns this forum. We do this forum in order to assist our customers with their technical issues regarding products bought from us! The costs of doing this are born by the owner of this forum, no one else. This web site is not "free" by any stretch of the imagination!

In case you haven't made the connection, this is our website for parts:

http://www.IHPartsAmerica.com/store/

We fully understand that no one web site offers every part needed to work with these vehicles, but no other company has the parts on hand in order to service the complete engine such as we currently have on the shelf today. Keep that information on hand if you decide to buy your parts from some other online site, if you buy parts from northern, then ya need to be dealing directly with northern, not ihon!
 
Thanks johnny and michael. I knew about the ihon store and have been looking on it a bunch. And the part where I was seeing if they would be cheaper was more of a joke. I hope I didn't offend anyone. It is a bummer that these rigs cost so much more than some of the big three. But they are certainly worth the extra time, money and research. Thanks again for the speedy replies. I will be calling ihon as soon as I save some money up. Oh and johnny, I have looked at your build and love it. I browse it all the time. I hope to turbo my 304 someday as well.
 
I am super excited to finally see some more progress and get my hands nice and dirty. I managed to pull the transfer case out with out breaking anything which I was afraid I would. I know this International are tough as nails, but I have never done anything even remotely close to this. My mechanics skills are very basic. I have only done minor tune ups before this project. But I figure if others can get the job done, then I can too. :icon_biggrin: I figure I am real close to being ready to pull the engine and transmission. I opened up the transfer case and took a look around. It looks like the gears are in awesome condition. I hope I am right. When I get it pulled apart more I will upload some pics, so someone who really knows what they are doing can tell me yay or nay. But I did not see any metal chips and all the teeth looked unscathed. I guess if they are in good condition all I will need is a gasket set and whatever else the guys at iho recommend. I was also thinking about making it a twin stick. :d we will see though.
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Sorry about the photos. Kinda lacking detail, but I will take some better ones when I pull it apart.
 
Here is the newest update. I rented an engine hoist and hauled it over the Scout. Got everything primed and ready, disconnected the transmission from the mount, cut the exhaust pipes with a sawzall, and disconnected the engine mounts. Hooked the engine up and with the help of my father and brother, pulled the engine and transmission out in one clean shot without breaking anything. :icon_biggrin: so feb. 5, 2011 marks my very first engine pull. I was so excited.
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Thats my little brother with me. Well not so little. :icon_biggrin:
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After the celebration we decided to remove the transmission from the engine. It was at this point we discovered that the hydraulic ram could not support the overweight IH engine and was losing pressure at a decent rate. The next hurdle for us came when we tried to bolt the engine to my brand new engine stand. Apparently the IH engine is a little different than the rest of the big three :eek: (duh, *smack on forehead*). The arms on the engine stand were a good inch short. We spent probably more time trying to adjust the arms than we did pulling the engine. Eventually after consulting a few friends we were able to macgyver the stand to hold the engine. Nothing is easy on these internationals, but then again I would not want them to be, half of the fun comes in the problem solving process. :icon_biggrin:
 

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