What have I gotten myself into????

[burns189]

Hello, first time here on the forum and a proud new Scout owner. I have been scouring the internet for the past few days trying to figure out what I have, how much it is worth (or can be worth), and where to start.

So here's the facts (I think):
1976 Scout II traveler
304 5.0l v8 with 80,100 miles
original color is orange
Dana 44 front and rear
motor runs strong

so yeah, that's about all I know at this point. I went to ga last weekend to go hunting with a buddy and his father was using the Scout as hunting vehicle, he called it the stretcher because its what he used to haul the deer out of the woods. I asked if it was for sale and now were here.

I've tried to post a few pictures but having issues, feel free to chime in with opinions facts or any other info that May help with the rebuild.

 

[71mtnscout]

If you bought it for an investment........not gunna happen. For most of us it a labor of love.........I have 6, in various states of condition. Some are parts, some will be put back together.

In the long run, the Scout folks are great people and will help with any questions that you have. Parts arent "easy" to find but are around if you look hard enough. The sii is the most common parts to find. Have fun with it, treat it right and it wont let you down.

 

[burns189]

Thanks for the reply. I'm definitely not trying to profit from the venture just trying to figure out what my budget should be. I think most of my issues and expenses are going to come from the body. It looks like I'm gonna start tearing down Thursday or Friday. Here's some pictures.

 

[IHRunner]

2k and you could have a pretty nice rig if you budget and search for parts. Thats a nice clean rig. Id do interrior. Rust repair. Lift it and wheel it. You're years ahead of some of the crap ive bought.

Looks good buddy. Congrats on the good buy

 

[Scooter]

Welcome to addiction of IH nistalgia. Looks like a solid base of a rig. As mentione previousely, most of us on here don't really look into maken a profit on these ole iron heavies. More like giving up our first born or sumfin.

 

[jetfxr]

The engine should have been IH red, so check into it looks like someone May have rebuilt it, or from the look it was taken all the way down and repainted.

 

[71mtnscout]

Nice rig......yup little lift and wheel the hell out of it. Doesnt seem to have much rust by the look.

 

[DocG]

What a great looking truck. That's the best looking vehicle I have ever seen come out of a deer camp!

I ask myself what I've gotten into every time I get my credit card bill! But every time I drive my truck it's like being in a parade. They used to say that you meet the friendless people on a honda, but they must never have driven a beautiful Scout through town.

Start by cleaning her up. Take lots of pictures and post them here (lets see the interior) so I can live vicariously through your build, and then click on the store button at the top of the page and start ordering parts! We will help you every step of the way.

I can't speak for everyone on the forum, but as for me, I love spending other peoples money!

I have always thought orange was a good color on that body style...

 

[burns189]

Thanks for all the positive responses, I'm feeling a little more confident about the journey ahead. Tomorrow I have an appointment with a state inspector to work out some title issues once that is complete I'll park it and begin taking it down.

Question? Yesterday someone left a note on the truck saying they had parts from a 79 Travelall. Did they make that model that year and if they did are any of the parts interchangeable?

 

[DocG]

See? That's what I'm talking about. Soon you will have notes on the window offering to buy it!

Yes they did. The Scout was built until 1980 and pretty much the same generation as yours. I am more of an 80 800 guy, so maybe one of the Scout II guys will chime in with more details. Most parts from a 79 should fit (if you have specific parts you can get a better answer) with perhaps slight cosmetic differences.

Regardless, if you can pick them up cheap and can't use them you can help out your fellow IH nuts and put them up in the for sale section (or for free!). The more stock original parts we can collect and share, the better it is for everyone in the hobby. You are going to love being an IH owner!

 

[71mtnscout]

Question? Yesterday someone left a note on the truck saying they had parts from a 79 Travelall. Did they make that model that year and if they did are any of the parts interchangeable?

He must have ment a traveler.....the Travelall was out of production after 75. Only the Scout was made after that and there last year was 1980. And very few parts other than the engine will interchange.

 

[DocG]

Good catch. I read right over that.

 

[IHRunner]

Yeah Travelall. No workie workie. Traveler. Yup. If its a 79 traveler id take whatever he offers thats good. Scout parts are worth their weight in gold. And as it seems sometimes more

 

[burns189]

Started to pull the motor today and had much success, excluding a few broken bolts and stripped heads. Everything got disconnected and an attempt was made to lift the motor and tranny out, until the realization that the front drive shaft never was disconnected. With time being of the essence the motor was lowered back on the mounts and we'll try again on Wednesday. I think I might be addicted, I have this strange urge to be there working on it now.
Anyways the gentleman I spoke to about the 79' traveler come to find out has complete vehicle that has been sitting for several years at his brothers house. He brought a few parts home that he thought he could sell on craigslist but never got around to posting them. I'm meeting him later this week to see what he has. I'll let ya'll know what I find.

 

[burns189]

Update:
after getting the motor out and doing some extensive cleaning I found the id plate on the block. I originally thought I had the 345 but come to find out it's the 304. The transmission is being rebuilt now and the motor is off to the mechanic for all new seals, pumps, filters, plugs, wires....... And so on. Now I'm on to rust inspection to see how far down I need to take this thing. I'll be taking the top off tomorrow and pulling out the interior. Here's a few pictures from last week. All thoughts and opinions are welcome, this is my first rebuild and I could use all the advice I can get.

 

[DocG]

the engine should have been IH red, so check into it looks like someone May have rebuilt it, or from the look it was taken all the way down and repainted.

I agree with jetfxr about the engine/trans color. Somebody has been in there before. Is your mechanic going to check it out while he is tearing it down to reseal? You might be lucky, but since you have gone this far it would be a shame not to check. If everything is in specs, no shame in doing a rattle can rebuild. Paint her red and seal her up.

Whats you plan for the body now that you have the power train out?

 

[burns189]

Once I tear everything out of the inside and see what my rust situation looks like I'll decide whether or not to take the body completely off. I know some of the body mounts are shot and from being underneath it is can see some rust. So with that being said the the body will probably come off and be put to the side while I rebuild the suspension. Then as finances allow I'll start on the body work. Ive been having a hard time coming up with a set game plan due to my lack of experience, just trying to take it one step at a time.

 

[DocG]

I read somewhere that you should do the body first, because it doesn't matter how well the engine runs, if you need to get a shot before you ride in it, your girl wont want to hang. I agree with that if you are going to do a little at a time, but I would say you are already past that point. If you have any major structural repairs to do to the body, it might be best if you do that while the bod is still on the frame, so things don't twist and bend. If it minor cosmetic stuff then the sooner you get the body out of the way, the easier it will be to work on the frame and suspension. That's just my opinion. There is more then one way to skin a Scout.

There is a thread here about 8 rules to remember when doing a build, it's a good read especially the part about quadrupling your budget. My frame off started with a leaky freeze plug!

I always love pics of taking tops off...

 

[burns189]

Just a few more pics of whats been done over the past week or so. The motor is ready to be put back together w/ all new seals, gaskets, main and rod bearings, new flex plate, and expansion plugs just to name a few replacements. The transmission has been completely rebuilt. I'm headed to Colorado in the morning for a little r&r, so the build will be put on hold for a bit. Plans for when I get back are new suspension lift and getting the motor and tranny back in. Then a rewire for sure. The goal is to have it back on the road by early May, I fish in a tournament every year and it would be too cool to pull a 92 rebuilt skiff with the Scout.

 

[IHRunner]

Where in Colorado you headed?