For years, I’ve been obsessed with long wheelbase Mercedes and Jaguars; little did I know that International was doing the same thing with their popular Scout 4×4 to give off-roading passengers the same sense of luxury. This “Terra” edition Scout is an impressive survivor, with claimed original paint and only 19,000 miles. It’s listed here on craigslist for $13,500 and was spotted by Barn Finds reader Fordguy1972.
The period graphics are my favorite part of any survivor Scout, and the side stripes look great here. The Terra was a full 18 inches longer than a standard Scout, and I can’t say these pop up all that often given how frequently we write about the shorter wheelbase versions. The seller notes that this Terra edition has no rust and “most” of its original paint.
Scout interiors are usually a treat, and this one is no different, featuring a funky upholstery pattern with matching door panels. The dash and carpets seem to back up the low mileage claims, but I’d still want some additional proof that the odometer hasn’t rolled over and this isn’t just a case of nice paint and a re-done interior (though the seller says it is original). The steering wheel looks eerily similar to the one found in a 1988 Isuzu Trooper that resided at my house for a few weeks this year – is that the stock wheel?
Engine-wise, the Scout features a “…factory 345 V8” that is claimed numbers-matching and well-maintained. The Scout has benefited from heated, indoor storage all of its life, and comes with desirable options like power steering and brakes along with a heavy-duty tow hitch and floor-shift automatic transmission. If the mileage can be verified, this seems like a fair deal for all parties. Would you choose long- or short-wheelbase for your Scout project?
It’s leather wrapped so thinking not original.. what a nice find!
Not the original when. Gm colum. Looks like a 80s cavalier.
International used a GM like steering column, so parts would’ve easily swapped over between this and some gm products
“Terra” was the 1/2 roof pickup version. This is a “Traveler.”
i think the traveler replaced the travelall we had a four door travelall wish we would have kept it.
doetsch jr – The Traveler did not replace the Travelall. Both models were produced at the same time.
Last Travelall was a 1975, first Traveler was a 1976. It may not have been a direct replacement, but there was no overlap, at least in terms of model years.
Correct it’s a Traveler and has been advertised for 5 months incorrectly if not longer. Nice ride just the same though. Wish I had my Terra back.
If you’re talking about the steering wheel you are correct about it not being factory. Any GM steering wheel from that era will fit a Scout steering column. The center console is also not a factory console.
The ad reads like a flipper sale, and calling it a Jeep only makes it more so. CCFisher is right. This is a Traveler, not a Terra (though making a Terra into a Traveler is merely a matter of taking off the Terra cab top, bulkhead and tailgate and putting on a Traveler top and liftgate).
Nice truck though, and you are right Jeff, that’s not the original steering wheel. Neither are the center console or fender flares.
The interior is ‘russet plaid’ and likely is original. Only way to know for sure is to have a look at the line set ticket, which is easily available from any Scout Light Line dealer or the Wisconsin Historical Society.
My good friend in college had a Traveller with seat patterns like that.
I’ve been checking out this rig online recently since I love scouts. Looks like a nice one for the Northeast.
Here are a few things I’ve noticed for what it’s worth.
It is listed as a ’78 but that is a 79 and 80 interior. Could be a later production 78 just like the Ralleye my family ordered and enjoyed from 79-92 and which also had the russet plaid interior.
That is definitely not a stock column or steering wheel. That’s an anomaly that I’d have to have replaced for that kind of money (and I’m not a steering wheel snob). I’m sure that wouldn’t be too hard, but it would definitely be on the list of changes to do.
Those are not original graphics, at least not that I’ve ever seen ( and I’ve seen and studied a LOT of Scouts).
That is a Traveler, not a Terra. Terra’s are cool but seated only two with a half-cab and bulkhead.
I think I saw pictures from the IH Nationals this past summer that might have possibly shown this rig there. I wonder if it was purchased from the midwestern owner or an agent there and brought East for resale?
I think I might recall this rig offered for sale either on eBay or on a Scout Facebook page several moons ago, and I don’t recall it having fender flares then. Some folks think flares are cool, and some folks put them on to cover rusty fender lips quickly. I’d want to check that out.
Since I first saw this listing way back when, and reviewing it again now, there is something unusual about the rear liftgate corners, which are not usually rounded like that. Might be a replacement gate.
Having said all that, it does look like a nice solid Scout.
Not my favorite color/graphics package but I tend to be a purist. Not too bad though. It certainly is original and not altogether offensive.
Wish I had the money to get one someday, and this seems like a good solid example to start with and enjoy, although I’d prefer a four speed manual shift rig. The autos are solid though.
My birthday is coming up in March. Maybe the seller would drop the price. And/or maybe someone wants to send me a surprise present? I’m not too far away in Boston.
Now that you mention it, those rounded lift gate corners are familiar. Stock was square corners so they’ve been cut down for some reason. I think I saw the prior iteration of this Scout for sale as well.
I had a 1978 Traveler and as far as I can tell, the back hatch looks stock. Mine had a failure at the top attaching points on the struts, resulting in them breaking off and leaving holes in their place. When closing the hatch, which is very heavy, I would tuck the struts in the holes. Still regret selling it. Wouldn’t mind owning this one at all!
No such thing as a “Terra edition” scout.
Lots of red flags in this one. Incorrect grille for the year, incorrect steering wheel , eBay fender flares and the rattle can paint isn’t helping. This guy has his pricing all wrong. Closer to a $5000 rig. Not nice enough for the big bucks.
Yeah. I just noticed that rear endcap repair on the driver’s side and the underbody spray paint. Plus the DS inner fender hacking.
For this $ I’d rather pay to ship one from out west.
But the apparent lack of rust is promising in its way.
Looks like price has been reduced already from 14.5.
I wonder if someone could pick it up for closer to 8-10k, which is what I think it is worth?
I noticed that rear end cap too. I’m going to guess it has been repainted as I too have never seen a paint scheme like this one. One philosophy I have with Scout exteriors is that if the paint job looks nice, it’s probably not factory.
Scout Terra was in fact a trim in those years. I had a ’77, 4 cyl (196) half cab, pale yellow where it wasn’t rusty; Nasty piece of work. One of the “TERRA” decals was upside down from the factory…Easier to identify the wreckage after the inevitable roll down the bank, I suppose.
What an unusual thing. I like it.
I see they solved or hid the rust around the edges of the fender with fender flares. That was a problem with mine and every Scout or Traveler I ever saw.
Daniel, the other main rust problem with virtually all of these and the short wheelbase Scout II was the rust when it got into the windshield frame, also the short wheel base Scout II was prone to bad rust in the roof and tailgate as it was steel, not like the Traveler which had the fiberglass roof. I’d say the lower tailgate corners were damaged on this one so someone cut and rounded them off, they should be square. I had a 78 for years and it was unstoppable with the slow revving IH 345 truck motor.
Cheato, stick some hockey pucks on the body mounts while you’re at it and give it a little lift, you’ll have to drop the the fan shroud on the radiator slightly though, been there, done that.
If the mileage is true then that interior is probably all original. My dad has a 1980 Traveller with the same exact interior and it’s still in pretty good shape and it has a ridiculous amount of miles on it. (That Scout originally belonged to my grandpa’s cousin who drove it cross country with a camper for quite some time. He even had it fitted with two extra fuel tanks that fit up inside the back fenders.)
Talk about yer long wheelbase International…
Hey guys this add say numbers matching 345 ci engine, that means the whole unit is stock correct? Why would we give a crap about THAT? I am pretty sure it’s not anything that’s going to demand 6 figures anytime soon?
…and the thing is with Scouts is the engine serial number matches nothing else on the truck. Sometimes it was noted in the line set ticket, but like you say… who cares.
I’m in the middle of restoring a 1976 Scout Traveler AWD, which is why this ad caught my eye. I’m always on the lookout for original build features and verification. Thank you to those on this thread for helping! I love the 70’s graphics and plan on keeping them. Mine has a sv304 (“sv” = IH “small v8” from what I read) Having a blast tearing it down to the frame, but seeing a driver makes me jealous.
Nice rig. Good luck with your resto. I love your color and stripe combo. You can check out some of the Facebook Scout sites for more rigs to compare and for advice as needed.
Here’s what it looked like this summer at Nationals in a picture I lifted from a Scout Facebook group. (Hope that’s ok!).
Oops. Looks like that photo is from 2015. Still a cool rig, though, in either form.
For a 1978, that grille looks incorrect and more like an earlier year grille – the 1978 had a large horizontal middle bar in it.. The fender flares are an add-on also, IH never put those on in production.. The steering wheel doesn’t appear to be original but it might have been part of the same package that brought those seat covers.. The top appears to be a repaint also…
I’m shocked that this one has ‘no rust’, especially being from New York – this one must have been kept in a vacuum!! Unfortunately these weren’t designed to address (wet) dirt/sand intrusion that rotted the steel.. Fortunately those in western dryer climates survived longer…
I had both the Terra pickup (a 1974, one of only four built as prototypes for the extended 118″ WB prior to launch in 1976) V-304 and a 1977 Traveler V-345. With the chassis and drivetrain, they were really nearly bulletproof – if only they had a more durable body!!
If anyone’s interested, I’ve got a collection of Scout sales brochures and info for this era Scout, both the Scout II and the Traveler, I’ve even got a Scout jacket I bought from Super Scout in Springfield, Ohio in the eighties, wore it about 5 times, size medium. These weren’t all that popular in Australia so there’s no demand here for such stuff. Contact me at tonycee@adam.com.au if anyone’s interested, not asking the Earth for them just too good to throw away.