Growing up, we all spent lots of time riding around in the backseat of our parents vehicles. When I was 10 (1983), my dad brought home a 1977 International Harvester Scout II. I spent just about every weekend in the backseat of that Scout alongside my brother, Casey. We took the Scout camping, 4-wheeling, all around town, and just about anywhere we went, we were in the Scout. Every Thanksgiving we would head to my dad’s friend’s gold mine above the town of Washington, CA. Riding along that long snowy canyon road in the Scout was always thrilling and terrifying. I remember Casey being afraid and asking dad to slow down as we could only see a sheer cliff out our side window. We were usually pulling a trailer full of quads or motorcycles which only made it scarier. As I grew older we started snow skiing as a family, so every Saturday or Sunday we headed up I-80 to Donner Ski Ranch in the Scout.
Sometime in the late 80’s the Scout began a transformation as my dad began to modify it into something even cooler. The Scout got a fresh bright red paint job and a suspension lift with some bigger tires. A push bar and a Warn winch were installed to assist in our 4-wheeling adventures. Dad also used the winch when we went to the American River during the summer and people would get stuck trying to cross the river in their trucks. Dad would pull their water-logged rigs out of the river with the Scout. (I’m pretty sure he was charging them to be rescued).
Then dad got serious with the transformation and decided to do an engine swap. While the stock International 345ci V8 was fine, dad wanted something wild. He decided on a 1957 392 Chrysler Hemi. The same engine used by drag racers for decades. He had engine builder Rex Hutchison build the engine with a big camshaft and ported cylinder heads. It was topped off with dual Carter carburetors. Dad built his own adapter plate to bolt the 392 Hemi to the stock Scout T-19 4-speed transmission. The T-19 features a super low 6.32:1 first gear perfect for crawling. The Scout also has Dana 44 (front) and Dana 60 (rear) axles with Spicer posi units installed. One issue dad had with the Scout was the fact that the 392 Hemi made so much torque combined with the super low first gear, he would often break the rear driveshaft as that was the weak link of the driveline. One time while out 4-wheeling, I believe the starter failed and left us stranded. Dad wanted to make sure that never happened again. He promptly installed a complete dual charging and starting system with dual alternators, batteries and starters that he could swap to with a switch in case of a failure. Crazy..
In 1997, a guy came to the house to help dad with some custom kitchen cabinets. He fell in love with the Scout and begged my dad to sell it to him. For some reason, he did. By this time, I had already moved to Reno to go to college and just got a call from my mom saying Dad had sold the Scout. I was shocked he would let it go after all these years and work he had done. I thought I'd never see it again…
Then, in Sept 2024, my brother sent me a message on Facebook.
He found dad’s Scout listed for sale!
It had been painted a bluish gray and looked rough in the pictures, but the Hemi under the hood revealed it’s true identity.
Casey and I agreed he should go check it out to see how it looked in person. Casey found out the Scout was still in our hometown of Auburn, CA and was still owned by the guy that bought it from dad back in 1997.
Something had broke in the driveline (probably the driveshaft) and it had been parked in the guy's yard for the last 15 years.
Casey and I decided it needed to be back in our family. One of us needed to buy it. While Casey and I both have our hands full with current car projects, I agreed to buy it and have it shipped out to Georgia to be restored to its former glory. Casey did all the negotiation with the seller, never letting on it was a family vehicle. We agreed on a price and Casey had it picked up on a flatbed and moved to his dismantler business until I could arrange to get it moved to Georgia.
I let dad know what had transpired and he went to check out the Scout he hadn’t seen in 27 years. I’m sure he enjoyed getting to see his old Scout again. In fact, he still had some spare parts for the Scout that he loaded in the back for the trip to Georgia.
The Scout has now arrived in Georgia and my other projects will go on pause as we get the Scout back in running order and slowly restore it to the condition when Dad owned it.
My wife Tani has been so supportive in this crazy adventure and I can’t wait to be out driving the Scout with her by my side. Or, according to her, she’ll be driving and I’ll be in the passenger seat. Either way, it's going to be a fun ride.
Don't forget to check out our YouTube channel for the latest updates!
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