Should I purchase a 65' Scout 80??

O

oleblueaufan

New member
All,

I am very interested in purchasing a 65' Scout 80 with a 152 4 cylinder and 3 speed manual, and would greatly appreciate your input on what i should be on the lookout for. We live where the summer/beach traffic is ridiculous and would like to change out the manual to an auto. Any input?
 
I suggest holding out for a later 800 model with V8 and automatic drive train factory installed. The 152 and 3spd setup is fairly capable off road, but is ill-suited for even modest acceleration. It isn't just a transmission issue. You won't have an easy time of swapping an auto trans into that platform either. Even if you accomplished it, you'd still be stuck with the anemic power plant, so there'd be little if any gain for all the trouble.
 
The vehicle will be used for pavement only travels as my wife wants to make it her daily driver (5 miles each way to work). Still feel the same way?
 
Are we talking express way or stop and go city? I think she'd come to hate driving an 80 model pretty quickly in either case.
 
We are talking about summer beach traffic, not expressway but also not traffic light stop and go. no racing from one light to the next. Scouts in decent shape around here are going for premium dollar and this one is the best deal/legit vehicle i have come across.
 
What do you think about her? Off the cuff what is she worth?
 

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Looks pretty good. I'm not an appraiser, so I'd say its worth whatever a buyer is willing to pay for it. If you can appreciate it for what it is and how it is, then go for it. Just know that your notion of an auto trans swap would not be easy or cheap or very practical to accomplish in that platform. The body tub was more or less engineered around the existing power train package. Things were kind of shoe-horned in you might say. The transmission utilizes a pancake bell housing to save space. If you're an accomplished fabricator with the tools and know-how, then almost anything could probably be made to fit.
The later 800 models with the same body tub did have a Borg Warner auto trans option behind the more peppy 196 4 cylinder engine. Those were mostly right hand drive Postal Scouts as far as I know. Later on, the BW auto could be optioned behind the IH 266 and 304 V8 engines in left hand drive. IH had to find a way to make it happen to better compete with Ford which was offering automatic transmissions behind V8 power in their copycat Bronco. So I'm not saying it couldn't be done with the right collection of parts. Just that it would be quite challenging.
 
Scoutboy74, thank you for all of the information provided. Sounds like there is more to this project that what i considered and not sure i would want to take that on. Maybe i can keep looking for another option. Do you have any recommendations for sites that are known for listing IH's forsale?
 
Other than the classified section of this forum and similar sites like Binder Planet, your local/regional Craigslist, and of course Greedbay...I don't really know of any other avenues.
And I don't want you to think I'm bagging on the Scout 80 or this Scout you're looking at in general. That one would be a hoot for getting off the beaten path, hunting trips, camping trips, exploring etc. Those activities are really what they're best suited to. I just felt that with the intended use and planned modification that it might not make the best option. They tend to hold their value better if you keep them more original than not.
 
The best way to go auto in a S80 is a drivetrain swap, also not easy or cheap. Look for an 800 if you want that body style, there more civilized than an 80.
 
Interesting thoughts on the unsuitability of an' old Scout 80. According to Ted Ornas, the IH designer of the Scout platform, it was women that popularized the Scout.

In the times, most folks did not drive pickups, especially in suburban locales. Grocery trips and school events where chauffeured in station wagons or full sized sedans. The Mustang was a "sporty" grocery getter and errand car in the beginning. The Scout was the best of both worlds, it had the cargo room of a pick up for most errands, easy to drive (for the times and purpose), cheaper on the gas, and it was not a pickup. According to Ted during a recorded interview, (I have a copy), women were the chief statistic in sales.

Looking at the pictures, there have been some changes. Dual master cylinder, moderate lift of the suspension, Weber carburetor, and some wiring fixes (hopefully not hacked), and maybe more not seen. I'd be real careful concerning the craftsmanship, there's a lot of posts here about the PO (previous owner) virus. Overall I like color.
 
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Thank you all for the info. Finding a Scout 800 for a decent price, not an arm and both legs has proven to be very difficult. We live in South Alabama on the beach and my wife loves the nostalgia and wants to drive one 4-5 days a week to work (10 miles each way max). We are willing to take a vehicle that needs some work and do a rebuild if the initial purchase price is right.
 
Greg R said:
Interesting thoughts on the unsuitability of an' old Scout 80. According to Ted Ornas, the IH designer of the Scout platform, it was women that popularized the Scout.

In the times, most folks did not drive pickups, especially in suburban locales. Grocery trips and school events where chauffeured in station wagons or full sized sedans. The Mustang was a "sporty" grocery getter and errand car in the beginning. The Scout was the best of both worlds, it had the cargo room of a pick up for most errands, easy to drive (for the times and purpose), cheaper on the gas, and it was not a pickup. According to Ted during a recorded interview, (I have a copy), women were the chief statistic in sales.

Looking at the pictures, there have been some changes. Dual master cylinder, moderate lift of the suspension, Weber carburetor, and some wiring fixes (hopefully not hacked), and maybe more not seen. I'd be real careful concerning the craftsmanship, there's a lot of posts here about the PO (previous owner) virus. Overall I like color.
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I don't consider them unsuitable on a global basis by any means. Even Sailor Jerry knows that! I just took the initial query/idea about shoving an automatic in it to make it kinder and gentler daily commuter car as a possible "red flag" in this case.
 
My point was the "kinder and gentler" and how things change. By todays' comparisons, we drove beasts that at times must have needed the lash. ;)

As to Jerry, Pusser's Rum is giving him a run for the money around here. Both Navy rums, one British on the shelf.
 
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