Newbie

C

Corzy

New member
As the title states, I'm completely new to scouts. That being said, I just bought a Scout and am thrilled with it so far. I think they are the nicest looking vehicles out there! I bought it from a guy in Arizona. And this is the description that went with it:

this is a 1970 IH Scout 800a with IH 304 v-8 that has been built from the ground up. She has:

under hood:
professionally rebuilt IH 304 with 4,000 miles
stans headers
rv cam
dui electronic ignition
howell fuel injection (GM based)
power steering with remote mount reservoir
Scout II power steering gearbox
1969 corvette master cylinder for 4 wheel discs (below)
airaid air cleaner

transmission:
t-19 4 speed narrow ratio which has the better 3rd gear for pulling.
Dana 20 set up as a twin stick independent front/rear axle. Go high 4, high rear, high front, low 4, low rear, low front.
Both transmission and transfer case were rebuilt prior to installing.

Brakes:
4 wheel manual disc brakes. This is a dream setup for the 800s and you don't have to cut out your fender.

Axles:
Scout II Dana 44s front and rear.

Fuel:
two new plastic tanks built for the 800s

springs:
new spring under springs all way around (about 3" lift)

tires:
new pro comp tires

paint / body:
painted medium blue. The top is Ford fleet white and has all the glass. Rear hatch works as well.
Interior is sprayed completely with zolatone which is a very tough speckled sort of paint. This paint has been used for decades in tough applications like boats, motor homes, etc.
Dash pad is a factory pad and has no cracks whatsoever.
Seats are original (re-upholstered).
Roll bar (fits under hard top).


So there you have the basics. I am by no means a mechanic. My Dad is the mechanic of the family and I'm going to try and learn from him. So any advice, please don't be afraid to dumb it down for me...lol

my first question is about the top. Has anyone found an easy way to secure it down quickly? Probably a stupid question I'm sure. Right now it is bolted down and it just takes some time to get it on and off. I'm looking at a "hoist a top" hand crank kind of set up to help get it off. I was just wondering what everyone else does. Maybe some new inventive ways to deal with it.

Thanks in advance!
 
Welcome to the madness.

For a newbie you have two things going for you.

The first, you aren't afraid to ask questions. The only dumb questions are those that aren't asked.

The second, the Scout you have sounds as if it is a real cherry piece of equipment. I doubt you will be doing much with it except to change the oil and put gas in the tank.

In regards to mechanicing on your Scout, invest in a shop manual and parts book. While the books are written with the understanding those that would be reading them were professionals, with enough time studying them you will be able to disassemble and reassemble just about every system on your Scout. The books are available from several vendors.

In regards to the top, outside of installing some lifting hooks there really isn't an easy or quick way to remove the hardtops off of scouts. You need the bolts in order to keep the top on when you are going down the road at highway speeds. If you ever take the top off don't ever just set it on the Scout or just install a couple of the bolts and drive it anywhere. It will quickly turn your really nice top into so much scrap metal and broken glass.

In regards to owning an old 'binder, I have one warning for you however. Old 'binders are a bit addicting--one is too many and two is never enough.

Good luck with your Scout.
 
Thanks!

I bought a chilton's repair manual. I guess I need to get the parts manual now as well.

I figured as much on the top, but I thought I'd check and see if anyone came up with a quick and inventive technique.

Thanks again!
 
That's a real beauty! The chilton manual is not much better than no manual at all, and in some cases maybe worse. Take Mark's advice and spring for the proper ihc manual.
 
Yep, rahtcheer from the IH Parts America online store. They're the good folks who make this tech forum possible.
 
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