scout 80 spring over

J

joelelliott

New member
Ok guys. I am building a Scout 80 with a cummins 4cylinder in it. I am using Dana 44s out of a Scout 2 for my axles and plan on cutting the pumpkin to do a spring over axle conversion, I am a certifed and very accomplished welder so I am not concerned about weakness in the axle housing. My question is about springs. I am doing the spring over axle but also wanted to use IH parts long travel kit but I am on a budget so my question is can I just get a reverse shackle kit and use the Scout 2 springs both front and rear to get my 4" of additional lift over the SOA or do I have to get them re-arched. Also would it be better to use two sets of Scout 2 rear springs on my 80 rather than the short Scout 2 front set and the long rear set? I want 4" of additional lift on top of a spring over axle conversion and plan on running 33's or 35's. Gonna be a mild trail truck nothing too wild
 
Ok, to clear 33's a SOA w/ stock springs is fine and might be a tad tall. 35's will fit w/ minor trimming or another 1-2" of lift. 4" springs on top of a SOA will allow you to run 37's. The sii front springs work fine on the front as they are a tad longer than the stock springs. Since you are planning on an rs install that will be no big deal. For the rear, either keep your stockers or think about running the 47" springs we use in the long travel kit as they are just a hair longer than the stockers. Budget build and 4bt don't normally go hand in hand, so be prepared for unforeseen expenses to pop up. I would really think about running the 2.5" wide springs f+r for ride quality. Obviously this does involve the long travel kit + extra but I would have to say it is worth it in the end. Take a look at my build for reference:

http://forums.IHPartsAmerica.com/readers-rides/7843-modernizing-65-Scout-800-a.html

It's on hiatus at the moment, but you can see what the install involved.
 
What about using Chevy springs. I have a 79 Chevy three quarter ton I can rob the springs off of the fronts are 3" wide and the rears are 2.5" wide. Are you supposed to use rear Chevy springs on both the front and back of a Scout since they are 2.5" wide?
 
Nice work. The pics are great and help clarify alot of what I've read. Thanks for the motivation!
 
It all depends upon the length of the spring. 56" is about max for the rear unless you are lengthening the frame for the longer spring. 47" springs for the front move the hanger all the way forward so again that is about the max for an unmodified frame. If the truck has 52" or 56" springs in the rear, I would say you could use those for the rear of your Scout.
 
Like I said earlier, 47" springs work well. You will need 2" lift springs to make it equal to a stock Scout springs height. Stock front Chevy springs are almost flat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top