Hey im cody and im trying to decide whether or not to but a 77 Scout 2 with a 304 and 3 speed auto, its black with a white top, new tires, runs good only like 76k miles I think, just needs a little carb tinkering, and I think its missing a driver side mirror glass and theres a rear brake line thats got a hole in it I believe, it was partially redone years ago seems like, the interior is like black and gray and looks almost new, it looks pretty good I think the paint would actually be able to shine up, there is some rust though, some underneath the wipers and some forming on the white top, wandering if anyone cane gimmie some hp and tq numbers as well as rough estimate of gas mileage and whether or not this would be a good vehicle for a 21 year old, I have another vehicle but I would like to make this a daily driver specially in winter, I dont plan on making it a show truck, I could prolly get it for $1500 bucks, if anyone has any input please feel free thanks!
Questions About Buying a 77 Scout 2
- Thread starter 77Scout2
- Start date
Scoutboy74
Moderator
Hi cody. Some food for thought here. You're considering an orphan vehicle that is over 30 years old. Most of these old timers have been rode hard and put away wet. Most have changed ownership any number of times. Components wear out and fail. Some previous owners fix things properly. Many others get quite creative with their repairs, upgrades and modifications. Some of which can make ownership more difficult for the next person in line. Scout's are great vehicles. Very durable and generally well engineered considering the era in which they were produced. You need to approach this with your eyes wide open. Spend some time combing the threads on this forum and others like it.
As stated previously, you won't be buying this Scout for the fuel economy. 14 highway is probably the max you can reasonably expect when driven with a light right foot. The hp and tq numbers posted previously are not peak output. Regardless of that, the IH series of v8's 266-304-345-392 are not high performance power plants. They were engineered for longevity and durability and to move very heavy loads rather slowly. They can run at their maximum rpm rating (between 3800-4400 depending on the engine) for hours at a time.
Sourcing parts for a Scout II is generally not that difficult, thanks in large part to light line vendors such as ihon, the provider of the this forum, and others like them. The catch is, the stuff isn't always cheap. Visiting your local parts house in search of consumables for these orphan vehicles can sometimes be an exercise in frustration and futility. The law of supply and demand definitely applies. The demand for IH parts both oem and aftermarket is low compared to chryfordrolet products of similar vintage, which effects the supply.
By your description, the Scout you are looking at sounds like a solid platform to start with. Just don't be surprised if you find upon closer inspection that it needs more tlc then you first thought. Whatever cost you're estimating to make it a solid driver, be prepared to double that figure. Owning a Scout is a hobby much like many others. Hobbies can get expensive in a hurry if you let them. It can be a very rewarding hobby though. I've learned a lot in the nearly 10 years that I've been a Scout owner, and what I'm realizing is I have much more to learn. I've also forged some great friendships and created some wonderful memories due in large part to that gas guzzling, rusty hunk of junk out in the garage. Best of luck to you. Knowledge is power in all things. Scout ownership is no exception.
As stated previously, you won't be buying this Scout for the fuel economy. 14 highway is probably the max you can reasonably expect when driven with a light right foot. The hp and tq numbers posted previously are not peak output. Regardless of that, the IH series of v8's 266-304-345-392 are not high performance power plants. They were engineered for longevity and durability and to move very heavy loads rather slowly. They can run at their maximum rpm rating (between 3800-4400 depending on the engine) for hours at a time.
Sourcing parts for a Scout II is generally not that difficult, thanks in large part to light line vendors such as ihon, the provider of the this forum, and others like them. The catch is, the stuff isn't always cheap. Visiting your local parts house in search of consumables for these orphan vehicles can sometimes be an exercise in frustration and futility. The law of supply and demand definitely applies. The demand for IH parts both oem and aftermarket is low compared to chryfordrolet products of similar vintage, which effects the supply.
By your description, the Scout you are looking at sounds like a solid platform to start with. Just don't be surprised if you find upon closer inspection that it needs more tlc then you first thought. Whatever cost you're estimating to make it a solid driver, be prepared to double that figure. Owning a Scout is a hobby much like many others. Hobbies can get expensive in a hurry if you let them. It can be a very rewarding hobby though. I've learned a lot in the nearly 10 years that I've been a Scout owner, and what I'm realizing is I have much more to learn. I've also forged some great friendships and created some wonderful memories due in large part to that gas guzzling, rusty hunk of junk out in the garage. Best of luck to you. Knowledge is power in all things. Scout ownership is no exception.
If your looking for legit gas milage, then dont look at a Scout.
If your looking for a dependable vehicle that will last forever (with good upkeep and preventative maintence mind you) then this is the vehicle for you.
But like scoutboy said, they are already 30+ years old, and things are going to happen.
It's your call in the end though, if you think its in good shape and worth every penny, then do it.
If your looking for a dependable vehicle that will last forever (with good upkeep and preventative maintence mind you) then this is the vehicle for you.
But like scoutboy said, they are already 30+ years old, and things are going to happen.
It's your call in the end though, if you think its in good shape and worth every penny, then do it.
Wow didnt expect all these helpfull replies thanks, I actually drove it around a good bit today and shifts good 4wd works, took a little to start since something is up with the automatic choke, once it was warm it fired right up again though, I was told there was no back brakes but I filled the resovoir with fluid and they were workin, and didnt leak down, it did have a small leak on the passenger side exhaust manifold....now its way worse after today, guy who owns it(friend) said it was the exhaust manifold gasket I checked it out a little more and its not, its the little piece thats between the manifold and downpipe, the entire exhaust from manifolds back is in good condition though its true duals with magnaflows I think...ima look into that part it needs to stop that exhaust leak though, I noticed on autozones site they carry a good bit of stuff that actually applys to this one anybody had experience with that? At this point theres prolly a 70% chance im gonna get this thing, the guy who owns it now is the 3rd owner, 2nd owner was his uncle I think...and the guy who owns it now drove it 2 years straight I think then it sat for maybe 1 or a few years...thanks for the info keep it coming!
Alright I further inspected the truck and the thing thats bothering me from making a decision is the rust...its pretty bad in some areas, idno whether if I should just not worry about it so much and slowly try to get it fixed since I could prolly pay my Dad to do some welding or if its gonna be a real big issue,I thought I could maybe just take some por-15 and paint over all the real rusty areas and hope that will get me by... I got some pics also...
Thanks for any help or input
Thanks for any help or input
Scoutboy74
Moderator
Ouch! Rusty the rust monster has really been feasting on that one. I couldn't tell what state the license plate is. Looks like it spent some time in the upper midwest. That's the other major downside to these rigs, and to other makes of similar vintage. Depending on where it grew up, the rust can really be an issue. Looks like it's a '76 and not a '77. Rust wise, this one is pretty bad. If the drive train and running gear are sound, you might be ahead to look for a good tub that you could swap on or a parts Scout minus drive train that you could combine the best parts from both rigs to make one good one. I think you'll be at the rust repair a long time if you go that route. It's easy to get discouraged when you can't play with your new toy for large blocks of time. That's known as project creep. Good luck whatever you decide.
Yea other than thats it a nice ride, ive driven it and its pretty nice, plus the guy who has it now is the third owner and the 2nd was his uncle...im thinking about maybe just offering 1200 cash....the plate is va and its a 6/76 I figured you round up to 77 or is it still considered a 76? If I bought I was gonna paint over all the rust with por-15 and hope like hell that will hold it off for a while untill I could make repairs, idno if some of it could even be repaired, the body panels itself are mostly fine just the top, the piece below the door and the little brackets and body mounts underneath is what has me worried, I dont wanna go extreme off roading or nothing a little bit of play but nothing serious plus I wanna kinda have it like a daily driver specially during winter, but the salt on the roads would destroy this thing if I didnt put some type of rust repair crap, idno what ima do.
Scoutboy74
Moderator
In this case the '76 grille was unique to that year. Grilles can and do get swapped around, but that coupled with the personalized plate that says "'76 Scout" and the build date all point to it being a '76. It is common place for vehicles titled as a certain model year to actually roll off the line in the latter part of the previous year, say September or October, but that usually doesn't apply to rigs built in June.
Oh ok, if I buy it ima prolly just buy some replacement body parts and get them welded in, xxxxxxxx had some that I think I would need, then everything else I wanna use rust neutralizer then spray rubber undercoating, trying to get a complete tub thats in good shape would prolly be real hard to find and pricey.
this post has been edited to remove a reference to a competitive business. Any and all parts needed (sheetmetal and otherwise) for servicing or restoring any Scout II are available right here from ihon. Please take time to scan through our online store, but be forewarned...only approximately one-half of all items in stock are shown in the online store. And additional sheetmetal/patch panels re being developed and introduced by Scout/light line right now. Ihon is an authorized light line dealer for all light line products:
http://www.IHPartsAmerica.com/
this post has been edited to remove a reference to a competitive business. Any and all parts needed (sheetmetal and otherwise) for servicing or restoring any Scout II are available right here from ihon. Please take time to scan through our online store, but be forewarned...only approximately one-half of all items in stock are shown in the online store. And additional sheetmetal/patch panels re being developed and introduced by Scout/light line right now. Ihon is an authorized light line dealer for all light line products:
http://www.IHPartsAmerica.com/
Last edited by a moderator:
Can any1 give me an idea of how bad this rust is? Is it repairable or would it be a real big job? Anybody think I could get by with just spraying on some rust reformer then undercoating untill I get money for the rocker panels and body mounts and such? If im buying this its gonna be here in about 2 weeks. Thanks.
Yea idno, I would plan on driving it in winter, its a damn shame that thing wasnt garage kept or at least covered, the guy who owns it now just didnt take care of it after his uncle redid alot of it and it just rotted away...
LYinKansas
New member
Looks like my Scout haha, tops trash no big deal though. Just replace it with an un-rusted one from the local salvage yard. Rockers and quarters are no big deal, plus a perfect opporunity to get your hands on experience. Cool thing about the scouts is the top is removable making acess to rusty floors and what have you a breeze. Rocker panels look to be the hardest fix. Not a bad buy though, still looks pretty good despite all the rust.