Long before anyone used the term sport utility vehicle, a farm equipment company in Fort Wayne, Indiana built a tough little 4×4 that helped create the segment. This 1963 International Harvester Scout 80 comes from those early days, and it had something most early Scouts never got, a life spent in the dry Montana climate. The Scout is now located in Greensboro Bend, Vermont, and is listed here on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $19,500, and the seller will also consider reasonable offers. The listing has been up since at least the first of October, when the seller dropped the price, and it has 7 days left with 20 people watching.
This Scout 80 is obviously not restored but looks solid. International Harvester designed the Scout to compete with the Jeep CJ, and it went from concept to production in about two years. Production began in late 1960, and the Scout was introduced to the public in January 1961. IH badly underestimated demand and had to increase production soon after launch. The company built its 50,000th Scout in July 1962 and its 100,000th in July 1964, which works out to roughly 25,000 Scouts a year during the period that includes this 1963 model. By the time the line closed in 1980, International had built 532,674 Scouts.
Buyers had one engine in 1963, the 152 cubic inch Comanche four cylinder. It was essentially one bank of International’s 304 V8 and produced 93 horsepower. A three speed manual was standard, and buyers could choose two wheel drive or four wheel drive. Paint colors came from the International truck palette, including Seascape Blue, and interiors were about as basic as it gets, with painted metal, vinyl upholstery, and a bench seat or optional bucket seats. The 1963 model year brought several refinements, including improved seating, better corrosion protection, and a removable bulkhead behind the seats so a Scout could be set up as either a pickup or a wagon.
This Scout follows the original formula. It has four wheel drive and a three speed manual, and the odometer shows 77,394 miles. The light blue paint suits the truck, and the seller says the frame is solid with only minimal surface rust, which is the real story here since so many Scout 80s rusted away decades ago. It has a slight lift for a little more ground clearance, and the bed and inner fenders have been Rhino lined. The hard top and doors come off and the windshield still folds flat, just like International intended. The dash is clean and simple, the seller says it runs and drives great, and it comes with a clean title.
That’s why I’m movin’ to Montana soon, yippieyiokiyay, not really, but Frank Zappa sure wanted to.
The Scout, the CJ wannabe, but was so much more than a CJ. Strictly utilitarian, the Jeep was merely a warmed over army Jeep, the Scout had a bit more class. See the wood photo? That’s where these shine( lot of work there, btw), and wasn’t until vehicles like this were called to duty they weren’t designed for, they fell out of favor.
Newsflash to seller(s): They are fishing in a dry pond, nobody is going to pay $20gs for an outdated 4×4, when a modern ATV does more for less. Great find, most are rusted to their demise, but it still isn’t a 5 figure vehicle. With only 16 viewers, and “price reduced”? From what? Keep reducing,,,Report
Back to the good ol’ days. I never could get used to opening the hood and only seeing half the engine. And the half that is left can get expensive.
Mains, cam bearings, rings, pistons and rings, no problem; well, pistons with contoured crowns can be challenging, as are rod bearings. Lifters, OK. Rockers? Exchange shaft assemblies.
These were the original Scouts, and they hit the trails running. Lots of them out west and I’m sure that a good portion of them are still in service, albeit with maybe the rest of the engine…Report
Love it!Report