International Harvester Scout

[Psimpson7]

Hi All,

After I have finished our Stage 1 which isn't far away now (will update the thread soon) I am thinking of the next project.

I have decided I want to do something other than LR i think, and I quite fancy building a scout.

One like in the picture below.

I don't really know much about them but I assume there are a few wheelbase options. The one below, I assume is a swb one?

Does anyone have one? or any experience of them?

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/489.jpg

Thanks
Pete

(picture borrowed from pirate4x4)

[incisor]

nice trucks to look at and not bad to work on but i hated how they wandered here there and everywhere over the road...

one would be a nice project....

[JamesH]

Can't help but I do know i really like Scouts. You see them in Perth from time to time, I don't think too many came to Australia.

Another car I like in the same vein is the early Ford Bronco (pre-73) they are very handsome too and you might find parts easier albeit with a more boring badge.

There's a good Wiki article on them that'll get you started.

International Harvester Scout - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good luck and looking forward to pics

[JDNSW]

My boss got one of these when they first appeared in Australia, must have been about 1964. I drove it a couple of times, and was not impressed - compared to a Landrover it was like driving a truck compared to a car, and had lousy steering. The underside proved to be very vulnerable, and much of the bodywork poorly designed and fragile. He got rid of it pretty quickly. It had a slant four, basically half the IH V8, which seemed to be quite reasonable, perhaps the best feature, although the oil filter was very vulnerable.

From memory, the RHD conversion could have been better.

John

[BigJon]

I know a bloke in Adelaide who has a later model one with a 5.7 LS engine in it. He seems to like it!

[incisor]

Another car I like in the same vein is the early Ford Bronco (pre-73) they are very handsome too and you might find parts easier albeit with a more boring badge.

nice trucks but alter the steering as they tend to spear the drivers when you hit something.

lost a couple of mates in them over the years.

[Psimpson7]

Thanks all. Here's another cool one:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=494907&stc=1&d=1263785846

Looks like the fold down screen was only until about 65. I would like one with a removable roof I think.

The traveller has a wheelbase of 118" but I still havent managed to find the wb of the scout 80/800 etc.

[JDNSW]

Could have problems finding one in restorable condition - they seemed to rust pretty well, although any dumped on farms inland after the chassis broke could be reasonably rust free. They were quite common in the USA, so most parts should be available, although any special RHD parts could resemble hen's teeth.

John

[crash]

An early Bronco of similar vintage would be my pick over a Scout as well. Google is your friend, the Scout has some very die hard fans in the USA, and they are also referred to as a "binder" there and I think one of the best scout forums goes by that name.
Parts avilability will be your biggest problem - but should be able to source almost everything you need from the US.
They had half decent axles for thier vintage which I think were Dana 44's front and rear, as long as you kept things relatively stock.
It would make for an interesting project, something different, and you do not see too many of them in Australia.

[groucho]

They were quite common over here International sold hundreds of them.
There is still a lot on the road
They had a 345 V8 and a dana spicer T90 or a T332 gearbox
dana spicer T/C and axles They suffered from rust but they were not a bad thing.There is still a lot sitting around if you look for them......

[JDNSW]

They were quite common over here International sold hundreds of them.
There is still a lot on the road
They had a 345 V8 and a dana spicer T90 or a T332 gearbox
dana spicer T/C and axles They suffered from rust but they were not a bad thing.There is still a lot sitting around if you look for them......

Must have had a good local dealer - I haven't seen one in the metal for many years!

John

[groucho]

Must have had a good local dealer - I haven't seen one in the metal for many years!

John

Motors and machinery Unanderra. and A C taunton, Goulburn. Inter dealers
sold heaps.There is still a few running around down here.
Only seen a nice yellow one Comming down Bulli pass last week

[Tote]

Pretty good forum on all things Inter as commented above
Binder Bulletin - Powered by vBulletin (http://www.binderbulletin.org/)

Regards,
Tote

[lewy]

i know were there was a few lying in a paddock near bathurst if anyone wants send me a pm for directions,don't know if they are still there

[Psimpson7]

Could have problems finding one in restorable condition - they seemed to rust pretty well, although any dumped on farms inland after the chassis broke could be reasonably rust free. They were quite common in the USA, so most parts should be available, although any special RHD parts could resemble hen's teeth.

John

Lol, You've listed all the positives there John!! :p

[long stroke]

We have one sitting out the back at work at the moment, we have to get it going for a customer, it's been there for afew months now.
You might have seen it when you were down a few weeks ago?

CHEERS TIM.

[Psimpson7]

An early Bronco of similar vintage would be my pick over a Scout as well. Google is your friend, the Scout has some very die hard fans in the USA, and they are also referred to as a "binder" there and I think one of the best scout forums goes by that name.
Parts avilability will be your biggest problem - but should be able to source almost everything you need from the US.
They had half decent axles for thier vintage which I think were Dana 44's front and rear, as long as you kept things relatively stock.
It would make for an interesting project, something different, and you do not see too many of them in Australia.

Thanks for that. I wonder if the Oz spec ones were different to the US ones as they apparently had the Dana 27 then later a 30 std in the front I think at least for a while. In all honesty I would probably swap in a 60 in the rear and maybe a 44 in the front if it didnt have one, and I couldnt find a front 60 (I am not a fan of the 44/30 etc)

[Psimpson7]

i know were there was a few lying in a paddock near bathurst if anyone wants send me a pm for directions,don't know if they are still there

PM sent:)

[Psimpson7]

We have one sitting out the back at work at the moment, we have to get it going for a customer, it's been there for afew months now.
You might have seen it when you were down a few weeks ago?

CHEERS TIM.

Hey Tim, No I didn't! Man I must have been blind!!

What spec/version is it?

Rgds
Pete

[Psimpson7]

Can't help but I do know i really like Scouts.

Another car I like in the same vein is the early Ford Bronco (pre-73) they are very handsome too and you might find parts easier albeit with a more boring badge.



Thanks James,

If I manage to find one I will do a build up thread if that doesnt break the rules. I don't mind Broncos either but would prefer to do something a bit more unusual. If it came down to doing a Bronco, I would probably do a wheelbase extension on the 90 instead!

[long stroke]

Hey Tim, No I didn't! Man I must have been blind!!

What spec/version is it?

Rgds
Pete

I'm not sure, it looks like the one you have pictured but without a roof, i'll have to check it out next week:cool:

TIM.

[Grockle]

I nearly bought a Scout over here many years ago but it needed to much money spending on it,Burt Renolds drove one in the film Deliverance.

[Psimpson7]

I'm not sure, it looks like the one you have pictured but without a roof, i'll have to check it out next week:cool:

TIM.

Grab a picture if you can Tim :) How much work does it need / what are you guys doing?

[long stroke]

Grab a picture if you can Tim :) How much work does it need?

It needs a fair bit of work lots of rust, nothing realy works either:D
We have just got the engine running for the guy, just need to fix the brakes and the guy who owns it is going to try restore it:)

TIM.

[clean32]

YouTube- Dueling Banjos Deliverance

[justinc]

Pete,

I used to work on these and J**PS etc. One thing I loathed about them was the arrogant simplicity. Typical yank design of big, unbalanced and robust. NO finesse or ergonomics. (Well, better ergonomics than a Def but you get the picture...)
The 345ci V8 was as heavy as, and it was as far forward as a 110 V8. It was fair OVER the front axle:(.

The Dana 44 was strong enough in the front and rear IMHO (Unless running 37's:D) but as already stated IIRC Dana 30 were front in most. Steering was approximate.

Basically, a pretty flexible 'C' section chassis was the only reason they got ANY flex in stock form, and did I say the steering was woeful?

I would say as soon as you take a look underneath it'd be 'THAT will have to be moved, THAT would have to be modded, THAT would have to be rebuilt' etc etc.

:)

JC

[Psimpson7]

Thanks Justin,

Love the steering comment!! :D

If anyone sees one can they let me know!!

Rgds
Pete

[djam1]

When they did flex the suspension/ Chassis they had a habit of pulling the tanks off of the radiators on the later models.

[DeeJay]

As an alternative to JDNSW, I will list my good experiences with them - I had a few mates with them in the 70's.

1
2
3
4
5
6

Thats about it:)

The fact is, there were much better options out there at the time. Not to say its a bad idea to do one up, but it will still be an international scout when its finished :(

[isuzutoo-eh]

The bloke I bought my 2a from had a Scout in his 'to be restored' collection. The only other time I can remember seeing an IH Scout is in Bushdriver and Overlander mags from before I was born!

[3toes]

You could try the IH Scout Owners Club of Australia. These people will might know what is available locally in regards to parts. Link below:

IH Scout Owners Club of Australia (http://home.exetel.com.au/isoca/frontpge-1024.htm)

[JDNSW]

From my memory, the Scout is an interesting part of Australia's motoring history, albeit a very minor part. As such they are probably something that should be preserved.

Probably because of my association with them, I would be more inclined to look for an IH AA120 4x4. These were much less common than the Scout, and like them had problems, mainly deriving from the fact that they were a conversion of a two wheel drive vehicle, but they were a serious working 4x4 and had a decent payload.

John

[rick130]

Further to JC's comments.

The steering's a (relatively) easy fix.
Typical Yank 4WD, they had bugger all caster.

Most all the Jeeps I used to drive we added stacks of caster to the front end, then they drive in a straight line on road. Seems the average US driver didn't like a little weight or self centreing in their steering.

Oh, and the Travellers with their 118" wheel base had a nice, flat chassis/underbelly so you can ski across whatever you can't crawl :D

[loanrangie]

As much as i like the early bronco's i'd pick the scout, early bronco's were not sold here so it would have to be an import and it would be LHD, parts would be a problem unless also imported.

[ramblingboy42]

I'm pretty sure the NSW Electricity Commission had heaps of them in the late 60's painted a very light green colour. I know they certainly had them where I grew up. I also think the Dept of Civil Aviation used them as well. May have been a few lucrative govt contracts at the time. Remember all the army trucks were also inters. not related but the mk3/mk4/m5 served the army for about 30yrs or more until unimogs arrived.sorry to hijack the thread but I read that the soldiers arent allowed to travel in the back of trucks anymore....

[Piddler]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/https://www.aulro.com/afvb/https://www.aulro.com/afvb/https://www.aulro.com/afvb/https://www.aulro.com/afvb/


a friend of mine is in the scout owners club he has had 3 of them.

He runs them spring over, twin shocks and not to much spring set, with a Dana 44 in the front and Nissan Patrol 9 inch in the back 4.11 ratios.

A photo is attached of the one I went away in to Sandy Cape last weekend.
With 35" tyres or 36" Super Swampers it kicks Asss.

The 345 sounds a treat at full song; his had twin 3" exhaust and dual shocks all round.

[Piddler]

A bit bogged here tried to go through in 2wd as we were having a minor transfer case issue.

Simple snatch out and away again.

Cheers

[Psimpson7]

Awesome! Thanks for those Piddler! I am looking round at the moment to see if can find one :)

Rgds
Pete

[harry]

oh pete,
how sad that you want an 'international rusty',
we did a trip in new guinea about '73,
one toyo, one landy, and us in a 'rusty'
the landy forged the tracks, moresby to lae, wasnt a super highway back then,
the toyo went fast, and us in the rusty followed along, i don't think handling was an issue back then, the roads wern't really very good, maybe 'road' was the wrong word.
the thing i remember most was how this thing earn't the name 'rusty'
it was.:cool:

[bee utey]

About 30 years ago I built a 4WD dune buggy based around a Scout auto trans and transfer case. The only thing that broke on it was the transfer case output shaft. I managed to fabricate a new shaft using a Holden 3 speed all-synchro gearbox input shaft as it had the same spline. That was fun engineering for a young bloke. Still got the buggy but it hasn't moved for 6 years or so.

[Piddler]

Awesome! Thanks for those Piddler! I am looking round at the moment to see if can find one :)

Rgds
Pete


My Mate deals with a guy named Dave Girling around Brisbane Toowoomba area. He has heaps of them.

Cheers

[101 Ron]

A early Bronco is a good piece of gear if you can find one.( Pre 1974)
They were totally different to the later Broncos and equal to the range rover of the time in all areas.
they were mostly private imports or dealer special ordered, but were sold in right hand drive in this country.
I had much experience with John laws old Bronco.
I agree the smaller International 4x4 trucks sold over the years are a better project than the Scout.
The International 4x4 range is easily up graded by bigger gearboxes and motors from other areas of the international truck range and most of it will be a easy swap.

[uhclem]

Howdy,

I'm new around here and I thought I'd say hi and weigh in on the Scout comments. I'm not a Land Rover owner but I hope to be soon. I've been looking for a Defender that's nice enough and cheap enough. Something to tinker with and drive on weekends. I am an International Harvester Scout owner though and have a couple comments. They were built in my hometown in Indiana and my father and his father both worked in the Harvester plant.

It's true that they're pretty crude compared to a Land Rover. It was built by a farm implement company and marketed to farmers. It's not a truck that I enjoy driving over a long distance because of the position of the seat/steering/pedals. I'm thinking of modifying some or all of those to make it more comfortable. It's true that it could use some caster as well.

The Scout you have pictured is an 80. The 800 looks almost identical but had more comfort and power options. I think the specs for the 80 were the same worldwide (aside from necessary differences like LHD, RHD). They were built between 1960 and 1970. After 1970 the Scout was renamed the Scout II. The 80 and 800 were sold in Oz for a few years after 1970 but they were vehicles that had been built prior to 1971.

Scout 80s and 800s were all the same wheelbase, approx 100" (254cm). RHD Scouts were sold in UK, NZ, So Africa and Oz and were built under contract for the US Postal Service as mail delivery vehicles. RHD parts are still available.

The standard axles on the 80 are Dana 27s front and rear, normally with limited slip in the rear. The standard transfer case on the 80 is a Dana 18. Lock-out hubs, removeable top, removeable doors, fold down windscreen, dual 9 gallon fuel tanks

Someone commented on the oil filter location. It is vulnerable but the filter is the old cartridge type and many are converted to a modern remote oil filter which can be located in a safe place.

Most 80s in the US were farm vehicles and never titled for street use so they don't have many miles on the odometer. Mine was built in 1964 and has only 60,000 miles on it. It starts every time on the first try and idles quiet and smooth. The only complaint I have with the drivetrain is with the hydraulic clutch. I read somewhere that the RHD models have a mechanical clutch linkage, your advantage.

I'll be watching this thread to see if or when you get your Scout. If you need any help with parts let me know. I've got a small collection of spares and lots of connections.

Eric

[Bigbjorn]

There are still quite a few around Brisbane. They seem to have become a type of cult car. Users seem to all follow the same path. How big an engine can be fitted, how high can you lift it, what are the biggest widest wheels you can get away with, etc. etc.

[LandyAndy]

I spotted one in Perth(Canning Vale) a couple of weeks ago.Big lift and tyres,Camo paint job.
I liked the look of it,well done to anybody that is prepared to spend time and money on something different.
Andrew

[digger]

didn't they have a diff or axle problem for the early ones?

I recall soomething I was told by an owner a long time ago...but he was fanatical about the car, no matter what he was loyal to it...I thought he was a little crazy....



then I got a land rover..... :)
......................................or two
................................................ma ybe 3
.................................................. ..........well 4
.................................................. .........................." SHHH, its 5!! I have one hidden! "

:) :)

[ScottW]

I had one years ago. It was a really nice car, but had no articulation, so not much chop offroad. Also sucked the juice like nothing. Usually did worse thatn 20L/100km.
However, I never had a problem with parts for it. A large cement company had a fleet of IHI trucks, and they used the same engines. I dropped my started in at an auto electrician, he looked at it and said "I haven't seen one of those for a while" They had the parts on the shelf to fix it. Autobarn had the gaskets for it too. Had to order them in, but only took a few days.

Power steering was great, and it had a small steering wheel on it. It had a better turning circle than my fathers range rover. And seats had been changed to something very comfortable. Was a great car to drive, but I can't say I miss it that much.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/08/825.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/10/990.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/08/826.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/08/827.jpg

[Disco Denmark]

Friend had a Traveller a good few years ago, quite pleasant,in an american way, to drive but its fuel consumption made my 78 Rangie look positively economical.
This particular vehicle didn't last long, it was used on the beach for fishing trips as well as towing a bloody big builders trailer in work time.
They certainly had some issues with rust too.https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/07/654.jpg

[Bronco]

Gday 101 Ron
I'm all new to this forum/club & I've just joined up becasuse I'm interested in what you had to say about the early Broncos.
I have a Imported '74 Bronco Sport LHD.
I have read in an old 4wd article that John Laws did own one of these but was wondering if you had any info on the importers or the conversion mob for the Australin version that was sold in limited numbers. I beleive John Warren Ford were the importers of some but can't find out who the converters were. Really just after the steering box details of what was used etc as I'm thinking of converting mine.
Is regoed at the moment but a pain in the a##e for everyday use being LHD.
Any info at all on these would be greatly appreciated!!
cheers!

[rick130]

didn't they have a diff or axle problem for the early ones?

I recall soomething I was told by an owner a long time ago...but he was fanatical about the car, no matter what he was loyal to it...I thought he was a little crazy....



[snip]

:) :)

Early Dana semi-floating axles rear axles, eg the 27, 44 only used a taper and woodruff key at the drive flange so it was pretty common to lose drive in hard off-roading.
Luckily it wasn't too common as 6.50 or 7.00-16's don't have a hell of a lot of grip either.

Dana fixed that with flanged axles in the seventies so they became a much, much stronger diff/axle assembly than a Rover one, even though still semi-floating.
The big axles like the 60 were always full floaters and weren't cursed by this issue.

Dad had a Jeep Wagoneer with a D44 rear end and while he lunched first gear he never had a problem with snapping a woodruff key on an axle, and we have some Super 8 film here somewhere of him smoking the 7.00-16's up climbing sandstone steps out the back of Menai somewhere in '75 :D

[rick130]

Gday 101 Ron
I'm all new to this forum/club & I've just joined up becasuse I'm interested in what you had to say about the early Broncos.
I have a Imported '74 Bronco Sport LHD.
I have read in an old 4wd article that John Laws did own one of these but was wondering if you had any info on the importers or the conversion mob for the Australin version that was sold in limited numbers. I beleive John Warren Ford were the importers of some but can't find out who the converters were. Really just after the steering box details of what was used etc as I'm thinking of converting mine.
Is regoed at the moment but a pain in the a##e for everyday use being LHD.
Any info at all on these would be greatly appreciated!!
cheers!

I can't help on who did the conversions (hopefully Ron will chime back in) have you talked to Gardiners at Mascot ? They might be able to steer you in the right direction. They have an extensive range of F Series and Bronco stuff, and import directly from the US too.
I used to deal with them when I had an F100 and they were fantastic.

[Phil633]

Used to sell parts for scouts, don't get any call nowadays, but I recall the most common part I was asked for was the gearshift cable for the auto on the Scout II.

I think Esperance was the capital in WA for Scout sales in the early 80's.
Was tempted to get one myself but the parts were expensive then in comparison to other vehicles even at my staff cost.

Used to have a regular customer in Newman ordering parts every second week. These were in the days before credit cards and dealing over distance with cheques etc was a bit of a hassle. I was relieved one day when he announced he had enough of buying so many parts and he was going to buy a Land Cruiser.

About 6 months later I got a call, he had decided he didn't like the Land Cruiser and had bought himself another Scout. Only this one was a manual and he wanted to convert it to auto. He did it and I don't think I have had to import so many parts from the US for one customer since.

Would love to see how your project goes. Good luck :)

[Redback]

I love them, got a chance to drive one with 390ci Chrysler V8:eek: what a weapon:D

As others have said though, typical American steering, bloody terrible.

Baz.