We’ve had some pretty exciting Auctions here on Barn Finds, but this has to be one of the Top 10! Now, I’m sure your thinking “that’s just an International Scout”. And you’d be partially correct. You see, this International is one of just seven Scout Travelers built with the Patriot package. It was a special edition color package International offered to celebrate the US Bicentennial. That’s pretty cool by itself, but what really makes this one special is that it’s an all-original survivor that has spent its life in a garage in Montana! Reader Barry Q bought this amazing SUV from his late Wife’s Uncle, who was the original owner. He has lots of documents showing the car’s history all the way back to the day it was built. Barry has decided it’s time to part ways with this special SUV though, so you can find it in Butte, Montana and you can bid to own it below!
When I say you won’t find another one like this, I mean it! What are the chances of finding another Traveler Patriot, especially an original one? And according to some research Barry did, this could be the very first Patriot Traveler built! It isn’t perfect, as it has covered 78k miles, but clearly it has been well cared for since new and is in good condition overall. When Barry bought it, it had green shag carpet installed over the original carpet and blankets over the seats. Even the seats look to be in good shape and need nothing more than some cleaning. Honestly, with a few hours of detailing, you could have this thing looking like new inside.
Barry didn’t know about this truck until 2013. It had always been parked in his Wife’s uncle’s garage and no one ever mentioned anything about it. One day, he went over to help his father-in-law with a project and just happened to get there as they were pulling the truck out of the garage. The plan was to carefully wrap it up with tarps since the garage needed to be cleared out. Thankfully, Barry asked about it and his father-in-law’s 90-year-old brother told him he could have it if he wanted it. Of course, he paid him for it, but it’s a good thing Barry got it before it was covered up with moisture trapping tarps. He installed a fresh battery, some new fuel, drove it home and put another 200 miles on it that year. It’s been in storage ever since, but it still starts and runs. Having sat, it’s going to need brake work, but that shouldn’t be too difficult to fix.
Under this Scout’s hood is the 345 cui V8. It was the most powerful engine offered in ’76, with a little over 160 horsepower and 288 foot-pounds of torque. It runs as is, but Barry notes that it is idling a bit rough. A tune-up should remedy that. It’s paired to a 3-speed automatic that’s connected to a 2-speed transfer case and 3.54 front and rear axles. Barry provided us with a photo of the truck’s original Line Setting Ticket, which shows all the options and features, so be sure to take a look at that below. He also has an original service manual, which is included, and will come in handy getting this one dialed perfectly.
A look at the passenger’s side shows some dents and a couple of rust spots. A paintless dent repair service could probably remove the worst of the dents and have it looking great on that front. The rust issues appear to be limited to the rear fender lip and really should be addressed sooner, rather than later. With some careful work, you should be able to fix it without repainting the entire truck, which would really be the best option. Given the originality, you will want to do your best to keep it that way.
This really is one cool truck and I honestly wish I could buy it! Between the originality, documented history, and the killer paint scheme, it checks all the right boxes. It needs brake work, a tune-up and some detailing, but for the most part, it’s ready to be enjoyed. And think of all the fun you could have with it! It would be a blast to cruise in, take to car shows, and even take out for some light-duty off-roading. So, if you’d love to have this rare International, be sure to bid below. And if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments or message us at mail@barnfinds.com and we will get you an answer!
- Location: Butte, Montana
- Mileage: 78,200
- Title Status: Clean
- VIN: F0102FGD27976
Bid On This Auction
Hohumm13 bid $10,100.00 2019-12-26 09:59:23
Forest bid $10,000.00 2019-12-24 16:07:18
1937BMW328NSKK bid $8,000.00 2019-12-23 13:49:41
Auction your car here on Barn Finds for only $99!
The condition of this thing is remarkable!
It seems like a very nice vechical. Why did they just build 7 of them?
So they built 7 Travelers, 1 Terra and 50+ standard Scouts as Patriots. I’m not sure if anyone knows why they built the numbers that they did, but chances are it was based on dealer demand.
Not correct. There were 41 DOCUMENTED Patriots, of which 17 were Travelers. Documented means the 10876 code was on the LST. The first DOCUMENTED Patriot was built March 4, 1976. Any built earlier are UNDOCUMENTED, which means the 10876 code was NOT on the LST. There are no records on these that have been found, so while many of them APPEAR to be genuine due to original patina, their true nature cannot be verified. The applique was available to dealers, so some might have been installed later in the Scout’s life. I have done a LOT or primary research on this but the UNDOCUMENTED Patriots are proving to be a challenge to verify.
Thanks for the info Jim. Do you have any links to sources? Every source I’ve looked at provides conflicting information, so I’m going off of what has been the general consensus (doesn’t mean it’s right) from all the sources I’ve looked at.
I’m the source. Look for the book “International Scout Encyclopedia” and you’ll see my name on the cover. I’ve done a LOT of research in the IH archive to get this info and my coauthor, John Glancy, has a broad lifetime of knowledge on these rigs as well. I got interested in the ’76 Scouts with the Spirit applique and literally went thru the production records of every single 1976 Scout to get the info I do have. The UNDOCUMENTED Patriots are of particular interest because we found no production paper trail. I wish the image of the sales invoice in the auction was higher resolution because it might provide an answer to how the UNDOCUMENTED Patriots came to be. I sent an email to the listed address asking for a better copy of the invoice.
We are working with Barry to get a higher resolution photo of the invoice and of the underside of the truck for those that are actually interested in buying it.
P.S. You don’t need to yell to make a point.
Just trying to drive the terms into people’s heads. You have no idea how controversial this topic has become. Geekily controversial!
I could swear I’ve seen of these featured here before. Then again maybe not.
You might be thinking of the Scout that we featured back in November. It was also a Patriot edition, but it was the standard Scout that they built more of.
Just as remarkable for its survivor status as it is for the Patriot trim. That being said, may I suggest that the seller provide photos of the undercarriage to allay fears that the rust on the fender lip is a preview of what lies underneath?
A nice truck I wouldn’t mind owning. After buying my ’77 from my Dad, I replaced the plugs, wires, cap and rotor, only to find it still had a slight miss. I ended up buying a spool of vacuum hose, and replacing every single one, of which there are many. Ended up with a very strong running 345.
I hate to bring the truth to the table, but this is NOT a documented Patriot, it does NOT have the stripe code required 10876, the LST is NOT marked Patriot and the stripe in the picture is wrong it should not go beyond the rear marker light on to the taillight cap. It looks like it might have been shipped to the TSPC and they could have added the stripe but it still doesnt make it a “documented” Patriot.
Nice truck. I love the uniqueness of it. You never see them this clean and solid here in Wisconsin. I am envious (in a good way) of the buyer.
Nephew-in-law got lucky that day. Life is often about being at the right place, at the right time.
Nice Scout…..not sure why these don’t get the respect they deserve – didn’t they start the ball game ?
Oh. My. Freakin. God.
It’ll be interesting to see if the invoice shows anything but it seems increasingly likely that the early ones were done at TSPC without any other documentation. Having a bunch of Scouts with all the Patriot options just being randomly stickered by dealers or owners seems like a stretch. Let’s face it they aren’t worth a fortune even if documented. Interesting story line though.
It did happen, Dealers had the white Scouts on their lots already in stock, prob ordered on a gold key program by a regional sales manager and later either they saw a single Spirit or patriot come in or at the auto shows and/or their customers said I would like one of those, well it was cheaper to go over to the parts dept and order a set of decals, install them on a existing stock Scout than to order it from Scratch and risk loosen the sale etc. because of the time it would take to be built. i know this happened my father was a IH Truck Branch Manager and i remember the storys.
That’s great history John and it makes sense. I think what we’re seeing as well is that at least some of these share the common TSPC on the LST and I think they are all early models. Coincidence or preponderance of the evidence that maybe there was a change in how they did it early versus later? Mystery goes on but all we need is a dealer testimony or an all original model that doesn’t meet the LST stripe code and dilemma solved.
TSPC – Trouble is that so many dealers and regions ordered vehicles in groups in order to have them shipped together they went to the TSPC, some may have had things done by the TSPC and some were just sent there as a group. This mystery will not be solved easily. Dealer testimony without documentation wouldnt cut it with me, ive had alot old friend Dealers or salesman say they saw something one way but it wasnt the case, memories can be tricky.
I can see where there would be many “undocumented” Patriots as IH must’ve made a tidy profit with a seemingly infinite variety of vinyl stripe packages on these.
First, Jim and John are the source.
Second, I bought the TSPC Patriot that was listed back in November. I think the trucks are so cool because they were clearly the precursor for the Patriots that eventually ended up with the code on the LST. Why? We may never know. But all the ones I have seen were built on or about February 26. This LST is from January. The seller here should really provide a clear copy of that dealer invoice. Is the word Patriot even on there?
That would go a long way to showing that this isn’t just a white traveler that someone threw some stripes on. With better info… I just might own 2?
Exactly my point Mike. Good luck.
I had one of these around 1990. Was in nice shape overall with some floor rust in the cargo area. Bought it for $500 at that time and resold it shortly after for $1500 to a guy in Ephrata PA. Always regretted it and have always been on the lookout for another one. I knew it was special even then but never thought it was that rare. I bought it from a veterinarian who was the original owner and had two of them, used them for making farm calls.
Cool.
I remember looking at Scouts at the dealership in Ephrata when I was a kid. I liked the Patriots, and so many other colors and packages. I was six years old during the Bicentennial. Maybe I saw your old rig driving around Lancaster County when I was a kid?
My family eventually took delivery of a brand-new factory-ordered Tahetian Red ‘79 Rallye.
I’d love to have another Scout again!
Any NE Patriot’s Fan would love it for Tailgating at Gillette. And probably pay Big Bucks for it
Maybe you did see it Neal. There aren’t many left around here now though. I haven’t seen another Traveler, or any other Scout on the road in this area in long time.
Authentic or not, this seems like a pretty decent deal on a nice truck.
I sure hope to have a Scout someday.
I hope the new owner will contact me, share the sales sticker and help unlock the mystery. Easiest way is to go to Binder Planet and look for “Binder Bookie.”
Hello,
Hoping To reach Jim Allen…
I just acquired what I believe to be an original 1976 Scout Patriot.
This could be one of the early ones as the VIN doesn’t seem to fall into the range Of Patriot VINs that I have found.
VIN FOO62FGD32981
This was owned by a friend of mine since 1976.
I will try to locate the build sheet but in the mean time I was hoping to find out any info that I could.
I can send pictures of the vehicle and vin tag if that helps.
Thanks,
Corey Mullins
Corey. Not sure if I can send you my email on this site. But if it goes through reach out to me. I can give you a bunch of info and put your in touch with Jim.
Mike
rubyesq2000@yahoo.com