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Restoration

Its a time portal, taking us back to a better time and a better place

Description & Modifiations

....Maybe some people are just born to own a Scout....

I was born October 21, 1972; Eight years TO THE DAY of the International Harvester plants last day of production!

I went with my parents on November 17, 1978 to Bryce Barnes, INC. of Eastport, Michigan to help purchase this vehicle....I was six (6) years old.

I remember playing with the miniature IH tractors & Scouts at the dealership.

They paid $7,050.00 out the door; inclusive of the 30.00 new plate fee.(There went my college money)

In the following nine years I remember trips downstate riding either in the back "fort" style or laying in the passenger side foot well; looking out the window, reveling on the warm floor and the cool side vent.

We towed our boats, we hauled fire wood. My mom spun out a perfect 360 on the ice on the way to church; in a snow storm my dad slid sideways through an intersection and into a snowbank as tall as the truck.

At age sixteen or seventeen; I followed my dad who was driving the Scout, I had my Plymouth Horizon. We were the only ones on the road. Unfortunately my car was lower, filled with snow, and died along the way. He hooked up my car to the Scout and towed me home....along the way the tow strap disconnect from my car... only when he made a turn two miles later did he finally noticed he was not pulling the car!!!

I only remember getting stuck in the Scout once.

I remember smokin Allan Oxley and his K5 Blazer on the way to skiing practice.

Eventually I went off to college.

In 1993 I talked my parents into giving me the Scout. In the subsequent Summer, I took two weeks off of work and began what has turned out to be a sixteen year journey.

I drove to Kentrol in OH to get a new body, I stripped the truck down to the frame. My friends and mechanics Mark Faulkner, Mike Reilly, Dave, Randy and others helped me disassemble and reassemble her in two short weeks.

Then she sat waiting for me.....

First, next to the garage of the person that was originally going to paint her, then in a nice garage in my first house, then in a shed, then in a warehouse. Occassionally she was driven, usually for no particular reason around the yard; or once by my drunken sister after my wedding reception.

She sat loosely together, mult-color, paint spattered....

Things happen, who knows where the time goes.....

The Summer of 2004 my brother-in-law takes me and our new Avalanche 2500 to a place called the Silver Lake Sand Dunes! The ember becomes a spark.

We spend every night for the next few weeks trying to put the rest of her back together, or at least make her dune worthy. She's ready but the radiators leaking now and she idles great, but bogs down when you accelerate. I call me friend Chad at Lane Automotive and he hooks me up with a racing radiator and a new Holley carb.....yeeha we're off.

Screw it, it's ugly, but it's fun. We go as often as we can for the next few years. We lose our gas tank, because we only tack welded in the straps; couple of rachet straps, a little fuel, line, an added fuel filter (for the sand), and we're off.

One trip along the way; my inlaws invite some friends. The one guy has never been to the dunes, by now I'm pretty good at getting a little air, etc. We are talking so I forget which hill we are on and power over the last hill at Silver Lake! Reminded me of the scene in Romancing the Stone where they take the "little mule" and jump the ravine....I think we were on the front wheels half the way down the hill.

Busted front quarter, bent powersteering, battery busted, front hub stuck in four wheel drive..... not getting so much fun to drive anymore....

Spring of '09; spark becomes a fire. Don't know why, just have to get it done.

Find a painter; Darin Gravlin, on Craiglist. Change my mind on style of roll bar, bumpers, etc. Spend everyday for two weeks, maybe a month wrenching on her. Moved the battery to the back next to the fuel cell, lifted her a little to avoid repeating previous performance. Thanks to Anything Scout, Super Scout, Scoutparts, and many other for all your help. (I hope the money I sent, helped you guys out.)

As some people have asked: I drew my paint scheme inspiration as follows-

The hood is a combination of the Ralleye and Spear decals. Ralleye is probably my favorite stock decal.

The front quarter stripes coming down the side are proportional and representative of the "light line" stripes that appear on the owner's manual and alot of IHC letterhead, etc.

....and the rear; I saw many inspirations, but that is just my personal favorite. I think we taped out over a half dozen different designs.

The interior- raise your hand if you like blue? It's the original color, it's really what I see and it reminds me of all those time mentioned above.

August 2009 I proud to say she's done. (Well they are never really "done" are they?)

Engine

345 V8

Future Modifications

Drive the shit out of it till Winter comes!!!!!!!!!!!!

.......Oh; and I have a '70 800A in the warehouse if I get the urge.

Diamond plate gas filler door cover and door hinge area cover pads