While International might not have crossed the stripe first with an American SUV, the Scout is certainly on the podium. And with a production span of nearly two decades and over 500,000 sold, it’s hard to argue with its success, especially considering that it wasn’t a product of the Big Three, or even the Big Four for that matter. Although there were several variants of the Scout, the basic styling only changed drastically once, when the Scout II was introduced in 1971. This 1972 version looks like a pretty good example of what is arguably International’s Greatest Hit.
The first thing any prospective buyer of any old car should be concerned about is rust. The seller claims that the body is in above average condition and the frame is solid. It does have a newer paint job and stripes, but smart buyers know to take a magnet along.
One the other hand, if it does have a little filler, it’s not the end of the world. The pictures of the undercarriage show nothing alarming, although the flat black paint might hide some repairs. Once again, a buyer’s intentions are often what matter, and nothing stands out as being something that would keep me away from this Scout if I were interested.
The interior has new seats front and rear, new carpet, and new door panels. You can see by the levers on the floor that it’s a manual transmission Scout, a four-speed in this case. Fun fact: Not all Scout IIs were four-wheel drive like this one, but the vast majority were. This one has a Dana 44 axle in the back and a Dana 30 up front, along with new 31×10.5 tires. As a guy who stays on the pavement most of the time, I’ll have to take the seller’s word that those features are what you’re looking for in a small 4×4.
Under the hood is International’s own 304 V8 with a Holley two-barrel carb. It looks like someone pointed a spray can in the general direction of the engine and hit the button, but once again, if the new owner is planning to use this Scout as a Scout, that’s not a big deal. If not, a little detailing will be part of the plan. The seller points out that the E-brake doesn’t work and the jack is missing.
This Texas-based Scout is currently on eBay with a high bid of $3100 and no reserve; it apparently hasn’t been tagged since the ’90s, but it has a clean title. It sounds like the seller has had some issues with deadbeat bidders, because a fair bit of verbiage is aimed at those who might back out after bidding. In other words, check with your spouse and your bank account before hitting the “bid” button.
If you DO have the money and an understanding partner, this looks like a fun old SUV. I’ve never seen a Scout and been upset about it, so it looks like a no-brainer to me.
Toth, 4wd enthusiasts rather see matching Dana 44s. Not sure why International didn’t equip it this way. Love the Scout model, especially this long shiftered 4sp.
Our good buddy Howard not as bullish on the International light truck lineup.💁♂️
This Scot looks cool even with 2X4 wood bumpers. I seen people use wood for there bumpers on 4 x 4’s. So t know why there rattle can the top of the engine? I would of just Gunk the engine and wash off any junk that was in it. That would have been better. These Scots are good in the snow . I seen one plow there way through the snow ❄️. I think a fair price would be $9,500. Good to the next owner. 🇺🇸😊