Chopped Top! 1973 International Scout

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OK, this one’s really a stretch. Yes, there’s a ’73 International Scout in there somewhere. The seller advises, “This Scout is a project” – gee ya think? That could be an overly enthusiastic assessment but I’ll withhold judgment for now. This Scout is located in York, Pennsylvania and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $195, reserve not yet met.

How it’s supposed to look, not the subject vehicle.

The above image is how this “thing” is supposed to look or how it probably did at one time. We cover Scouts regularly on Barn Finds and they’re neat all-purpose vehicles and a nice alternative to the ubiquitous Jeep or the Ford Bronco. And while the Bronco trades at inexplicable values, the Scout has not reached that rarefied level. Offered between 1961 and 1980, over a half million Scouts found new owners, and near the end of their run, in the late ’70s, there were plenty everywhere. Other than a fleeting glimpse at a car show now, they are seldomly seen these days. Many of today’s discoveries are afflicted with rust, damage, and missing parts but some are quite nice too. As for this example, I feel like mumbling uuuugh and shaking my head the way Lurch from the Adams Family would to express his disapproval of a matter.

The VIN verifies this Scout as a 1973 gasoline-powered vehicle built in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The engine line-up for ’73 included a 113 HP 258 CI in-line six or a pair of V8’s, a 137 HP 304 and a 144 HP 345 – it’s unknown what was under that baby-blue hood originally but it’s a safe bet it’s missing – there’s no reference in the listing.

The body is hard to decipher, it’s like a front clip with a wooden bed placed in the rear, on top of the frame. The doors and quarters are missing – there’s virtually nothing there unless you consider the front grille piece, the hood, and the roof to be something viable. Cab floors? no telling. It does appear that there may be a door sitting inside and lying on the wooden bed. There’s no interior, obviously, and no cargo area either though there is a gas tank shoved in sideways where a front passenger would position themselves.

The seller is a used car dealer, not a private seller, and it seems nervy trying to sell a heap like this, clean Pennsylvania title or not. Is this thing salvageable? Unlikely. Suitable as a parts vehicle? Barely. Scrap? Now you’re talking and there’s the one likely direction this deceased Scout will probably take – haul it away for free is my suggestion, how about yours?

Auctions Ending Soon

Comments

  1. Steve BushMember

    This clown has the nerve to have a reserve on this POS and also had several parts for it for sale separately

    Like 8
  2. Big_FunMember

    Ooh…add a pair of headlights from, say, a ’53 Ford Tractor, and you have a Rat Rod…

    Like 2
  3. geomechs geomechsMember

    As optimistic as I tend to be I’m going to have to say that this Scout has reduced itself to parts vehicle and is fairly well-used at that. The Scout II was a good truck overall. Of course, if you were in the Salt Belt it dissolved like so many other makes. The engines and drivetrains held up quite well; I’ve seen several roll the odometer over twice and still ask for more. Very few blocks harder than an International, other than a Buick Y-Block which is as hard as they come. I’m afraid that this one has drifted out of my range of vision as there isn’t much to restore. True I’ve seen some super fanatical purists that would take one of these and reinvent it to make a showpiece but it’s way beyond me. Someone else though…

    Like 3
  4. bobhess bobhessMember

    The first September “you’ve got to be kidding” award!

    Like 5
  5. BR

    $50 for the front axle, $25 for the Warn hubs, and you’ve bought it. The rest goes to the crusher.

    Like 0
  6. Gregg

    C’mon guys…. Where’s your vision? It would take me just the better part of an afternoon to bolt a body tub on to this chassis… (assuming I may be able to find one…) I could have a driver in about a week…. (again, Assuming I can source a few things…) like doors and fenders and bumpers and…. Hey wait a minute….. Maybe you guy are right!….

    Like 1
  7. Lenny

    If you check his other auctions he has many of the missing parts for this truck.

    Like 1
  8. John Klintz

    Nice try, Jim, with the details, etc., but all this POS needs is a trip to the crusher.

    Like 0

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