DOTS: Movie Scout

[WhoIsTheLeader]

I saw a cool Scout II the other day. Then saw a film shoot. Get it? I'll see myself out.

I like Scouts but here in Georgia they just don't seem to have any sort of presence. It's been a long time since I've seen a Scout II and I'm not sure if I've ever seen an original Scout. International Harvesters just don't seem to hold the same value as Fords and Chevys so rough ones aren't worth restoring. And most of them seem to be rough.

And there is this chop top hot rod of some description that I didn't get a good look at.

And a commercial shoot involving a scene where a valet helps some people out of a car and does a little dance. Let me know if you spot this commercial sometime.

Out of the Scout, hot rod, and Volvo, I think I'd take the Scout. What about you?

[fintail]

@whoistheleader Rod could be anything but a lot of those have at least a stylistic basis in a 49-51 Mercury. The rear treatment of that one also has a 52-54 Mercury vibe.

Early Scout spotted in the wild in western WA a few years back:

[Italia]

@whoistheleader they have mostly melted back into the earth but the values have actually gone up substantially in the last few years. (Scout 80 owner)

[jminer]

@whoistheleader Having owned a Scout II while they are cool as hell machines but there are a couple big reasons they're not more popular.

1. Rust - so much rust! Even compared to comparable vintage off-roaders they rusted away even if you lived in the desert.
2. Parts availability. While they shared components with some other major manufacturers (like a transmission with Dodge or Dana axles) most of what they used was designed and built by International themselves. Their engines that were also used in their dump-trucks for example, while that makes them fairly durable it means there is no aftermarket or really parts support anymore for most of the vehicle. Things like the body, interior and electronics were shared with nothing else so if you can't find a part you need second-hand you aren't getting it.

Compare this with something like a 1963 CJ5. I can literally start with nothing and buy new a frame, tub, body panels, switchgear, wiring harness and so on brand new from a variety of suppliers.

My Scout II had a bad heater core - there was a company that made a batch of new ones 10 years ago but were out of stock almost everywhere and if you could find one it was $300. I hacked apart my heater box and installed one that was similar enough in dimensions from an early 00's taurus. This is the level you need to be ready for on most normally routine repairs if you own a Scout.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@fintail I was definitely getting Ford vibes from it. I'm not into hotrodding so I'm not sure of the common bases for them.

But that Scout is really cool. Such a nice bright cheery color on it.

[Just Jeepin']

@jminer As I understood it, International was notorious for just throwing in random parts, so there’s not necessarily a good way to know what you need for a replacement.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@jminer said in DOTS: Movie Scout:

This is the level you need to be ready for on most normally routine repairs if you own a Scout.

Definitely. Parts availability is the biggest turn off because you have to really work to keep them on the road.

Them coming from the factory rusty and being treated as tools for their entire lives certainly hasn't made finding a non beat one easy too.

[jminer]

@just-jeepin said in DOTS: Movie Scout:

@jminer As I understood it, International was notorious for just throwing in random parts, so there’s not necessarily a good way to know what you need for a replacement.

This is also very true. For example there was something like 4 or 5 variants of Distributor config my 79 with a 345 could have had in it all requiring different rotors, caps and spark plug wires.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@italia said in DOTS: Movie Scout:

@whoistheleader they have mostly melted back into the earth but the values have actually gone up substantially in the last few years. (Scout 80 owner)

Indeed. Internationals came factory installed with rust.

[jminer]

@whoistheleader It's why I finally gave up on mine. I got it mechanically fairly well sorted, but it just required constant parts hunting and maintenance to keep it that way so I never got it to the point where I wanted to do body work. So it got passed onto someone who did want to do that (or stripped for parts, but it's not my problem anymore).

[Mark Tucker]

@whoistheleader For just a second I thought that was CadZZilla, owned by ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons. But it's not quite the same. Wouldn't surprise me if it were a tribute, or at least based on a similar car ('48 Cadillac).

[MM54]

I really like scouts, but as others have mentioned they have pretty much entirely returned to earth or been restored as to be unobtainable.

[Italia]

@mm54 I should ship you my scout 80 and you can do the bodywork while I'm in Italy. That will get you over liking scouts.

[MM54]

@italia Tempting, but no thanks. I've had it with rust.

[LooseonExit]

@whoistheleader
Scout for sure.

I saw a Scout 80 half cab on a rollback yesterday on the way to getting the wife her second Pfizer shot. Mint clean/resto’d in metallic brown. Much like this one, but you know, brown.

[Italia]

@mm54 by a stroke of god your chevelle might have been rustier than this scout. Desert living has really been good to her.

[MasterMario]

@italia said in DOTS: Movie Scout:

you can do the bodywork while I'm in Italy

when you return

"Ohhhhh....you wanted me to improve the body. That makes a lot more sense."

[MM54]

@italia said in DOTS: Movie Scout:

@mm54 by a stroke of god your chevelle might have been rustier than this scout. Desert living has really been good to her.

Oh. Then maybe.

[Just Jeepin']

Random shots from my travels.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@jminer said in DOTS: Movie Scout:

So it got passed onto someone who did want to do that (or stripped for parts, but it's not my problem anymore).

Seems like the only way to get a good Scout is to cannibalize at least one other.

[jminer]

@whoistheleader said in DOTS: Movie Scout:

@jminer said in DOTS: Movie Scout:

So it got passed onto someone who did want to do that (or stripped for parts, but it's not my problem anymore).

Seems like the only way to get a good Scout is to cannibalize at least one other.

That's who actually bought mine. He'd bought another the week before and needed a parts scout. After looking at it he decided that mine was actually the better one and the first one was likely to become the parts vehicle.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@looseonexit said in DOTS: Movie Scout:

@whoistheleader
Scout for sure.

I saw a Scout 80 half cab on a rollback yesterday on the way to getting the wife her second Pfizer shot. Mint clean/resto’d in metallic brown. Much like this one, but you know, brown.

I love the first gen Scout pickups a lot, but the super rare Scout Terra is also quite nice.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@jminer said in DOTS: Movie Scout:

Seems like the only way to get a good Scout is to cannibalize at least one other.

That's who actually bought mine.

A cannibal bought your Scout?

[jminer]

@whoistheleader said in DOTS: Movie Scout:

A cannibal bought your Scout?

Ha! Although it was a guy that runs an IT professional services company, so pretty much yeah.

[Mark Tucker]

My favorite Scout variant is the Monteverdi Safari. Especially the ones with the Chrysler 440 in them.