Scouts always seem to have a great story, usually involving being handed down from generation to generation or residing on a farm for all of its life and racking up only nominal mileage. This one seems to be a little bit of both, as it was previously in one family ownership, passed down through three generations of caretakers. It also has just 34,700 original miles, according to the seller, and the condition makes it seem possible. The Scout does have some bodywork needs but it seems relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. The truck is listed here on craigslist as a runner for $7,800 near San Francisco.
Let’s get right to the worst of it: it’s this body panel here, where you can see rust has eaten through the most vulnerable part of the body, the one that collects water and sits close to the road. Of course, given this Scout seems to have been a northern California truck all of its life, any rust is a bit of a surprise, but the seller does note the truck was in storage for 30 years near Bass Lake in Madera County, California. The storage arrangement likely wasn’t anything to write home about, especially if the Scout has been long-time family-owned and prettying it up for sale wasn’t likely a regular topic of conversation.
The interior is in great shape and offers perhaps the strongest evidence that the mileage is genuine. The paintwork is super clean, and the interior doesn’t show much in the way of hard use or wear and tear. The painted door panel also looks quite fresh, as does the switchgear like the door handle. The glass is clear and the steering wheel doesn’t show much in the way of grimy hand stains. The seller notes this is an original black plate California truck and that it is structurally sound, with a solid frame and structural metal, along with good floorboards and the typically vulnerable areas around the windows presenting as rust-free.
Check out that tailgate – it’s hard to resist the urge to take it off and hang it on a garage wall. But there are plenty of rusty trucks out there to pillage for the purpose of decorating your shop; this one shouldn’t be touched other than to repair the rusty areas. The seller correctly points out that patch panels exist for the rotted out section, and it’d be a fairly quick fix for an experienced body man. A Scout like this you simply want to address the most worrisome rust and then drive it. The oil and tires are fresh and the seller reports the clutch works fine, so it does seem like the kind of barn find that won’t need too much heavy lifting to be a reliable runner again – just like it was for its longtime family owners for years prior.
I can honestly say that I’ve never seen anyone paint only the good panels and leave the rusted through areas!
What engine would be in this rig?
Sometimes a half V8 4 cylinder.
Not “sometimes”, but “always”, a slant 4. A few years later, a V8.
I had one in Gunnison, Colo. way back. I didn’t like the sound of door slamming, preferred thud. So I filled the door with sawdust. It was quiet, but I’ll bet that door rotted quite quickly after a winters ice and snow settled in there. Dumb move, dumb kid.
Maybe that’s why the door has been replaced and painted.
Why do you, barnfinds, and owners make such a big deal out the color of the license plate? Having either a black or blue plate adds no value to a vehicle. It just tells me that you have to bring it up because there is nothing else special about the car. To me it reflects ignorance and it is used as fluff and filler.
My very first car was a sixties Scout I just can’t understand the new found “Maybe it will be another Bronco” fascination with these.
Sure the look cool, but they are noisy, rough riding, and not terribly comfortable in the cold as the heaters are weak. A Jeep of that era has all the same attributes but looks a lot cooler IMHO.
Merry Christmas everyone.
These were piles of JUNK when new, and with 1/2 of a V-8 engine plus other compromises were no match for the Jeeps or Broncos of the era. Let it die the death it deserves!
Spartan, utilitarian, if not crude. But Junk, they were NOT. These things would take a relentless beating and beg for more. I know, I had one.
Back when I was still working on cars every one I came across either had engine problems (expensive ones) due to the poor “design,” or rusting body panels, or both. You made a good point; perhaps these issues were exacerbated by the rough treatment/abuse of the owners. The Jeeps of the era beat it, and the Bronco which came later much better. The Scout only lasted two generations for a reason; by the 1982 model year it was over,