Disclosure: This site may receive compensation when you click on some links and make purchases.

School Bus Yellow: 1979 International Scout II

Some vehicles stand the test of time and the International Harvester is one of those vehicles. It was produced from 1960 to 1980 and over 500,000 units were produced over its production run. This example is a 3rd generation 1979 International Harvester Scout II. It is listed for sale here on Craigslist for $5,000. The Scout II is a project but looks pretty solid at first glance. It is located in New Caney, Texas which is northeast of Houston. The vehicle is said to have been running when it was parked 2 years ago. Of course, we know that running and running well are two different things! The vehicle has been listed for a couple of months so maybe the seller will accept a lower offer.

The interior indicates that this 4WD version of the Scout II (yes, there were 2WD models made) has a manual transmission, black bench seats, and an under-dash air conditioning unit. The seller states that all the trim pieces are included and have been stored inside the Scout. The vehicle does not have a title and will be sold with a Bill of Sale but the seller states that he or she will help the new owner obtain a bonded title.

International Harvester first equipped the early Scouts with a 93 horsepower 152 cubic inch inline four-cylinder engine. Later models could be purchased with a 196 cubic inch inline 4-cylinder was introduced in 1966, an inline 6-cylinder (1967), a 304 cubic inch V8 engine (1968), and a 345 cubic inch V8 engine (1971). This Scout II is said to be equipped with the venerable 304 cubic inch V8 engine but it looks like it is going to need some work. Based on the engine bay, I don’t think that yellow was the original color of this Scout but I could be wrong.

As mentioned at the start of this article, the Scout model was produced over a 21 year period. The first generation Scout 8o was built from 1960 to 1965. The second generation of Scout was called the Scout 800 which was produced in three sub-models (800, 800A, and 800B). The Scout 800 was manufactured from 1966 to 1967 by International Harvester. The Scout 800A was produced from 1968 to 1970 and the Scout 800B was produced from August 1970 to March 1971. The third-generation model of the Scout was introduced in 1971 and ran all the way to 1980.

Comments

  1. Avatar geomechs Member

    Now, this is the body style I like. International ticked all of the right boxes for this version without going overboard. Full driver-quality restoration would be in order. Not a lot of trouble finding parts although some trim items can be a challenge. Definitely take it down to the frame and build it back up. And get RID of that carburetor. Incidentally, it looks like the original color was blue, which is probably what I’d paint it if it came my way…

    Like 4
  2. Avatar Stan

    Great vehicles, id leave out a backseat and just have cargo space. Not sure whats on the roof ? But a real basket roof rack would be handy.

    Like 0

Leave A Comment

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.