What can you get for $5,000 these days? Well, this seller is liquidating their entire collect of early International Harvester Scout 80’s. From the pictures, it looks like there are 12 Scout 80’s in poor to bad condition. The ad says that 4 or 5 of these Scout 80’s have titles. The seller is located in Hawkins, Texas and has listed his collection of parts, frames and bodies here on Facebook Marketplace. The ad has been up for about a month. If you need parts or a solid frame, it is all here but you have to buy the whole lot. As mentioned, the asking price is $5,000 and even includes some new old stock.
Scouts were built from 1960 to 1980. The first generation of the Scout was called a Scout 80 and manufactured from 1960 to 1965. The Scout 800 was produced by International Harvester from 1966 to 1971. From 1966 to 1967, it was called the Scout 800. Starting in 1968, the Scout 800A was produced from 1968 to 1970. The Scout 800B had a short production run of only a few months from August 1970 to March 1971. In 1971, the third generation model was introduced as the Scout II and produced until 1980.
International Harvester offered a variety of engine options for the Scout during its production run. The Scout 80 (1960–1965) was equipped with a standard 152 four cylinder gasoline engine. 1966–1971 model years (800, 800A, and 800B) offered a 196 four cylinder, a 232 six cylinder, a 266 V–8, and a 304 V–8 gas engines, as well as a turbocharged version of the 152 four cylinder from 1965–1967. The Scout II (1971–1980) featured a 196 four cylinder, a 232 six cylinder (early production), a 258 six cylinder, a 304 V–8, and a 345 V–8 gasoline engines. An optional Nissan SD33 diesel engine was available starting in 1976, which was later replaced by the SD33T turbo diesel engine in 1980.
International Harvester built over 500,000 Scouts from 1960 to 1980 so they are not rare. Many, if not a majority of the production, has succumbed to what they were intended to be used for or the rust bug has finally caught up with them. There were several different models of the Scout produced including a pickup with a removable roof. According to chief designer Ted Ornas, “…the market potential for a four-wheel drive recreational vehicle was an unknown quantity in the early 1950s…Starting in late July 1959, a full-sized clay model was completed, and in November 1959, it was approved. It was a remarkable program with fast-paced engineering and manufacturing developments. The total development time of 24 months was a heroic achievement considering the concept was unique and no in-house engine or manufacturing was available or even considered when the program started.”
The early Scout 80’s can be identified by their Spartan interiors, removable side windows, vacuum operated windshield wipers that mount on the top of the windshield and IH logo on the center of the tailgate and front grill. Many of these units are missing their grills and tailgates.
The seller lists many parts including full and half tops and states that even some of the engines will start in some of the Scout 80’s. The ad states that there are NOS parts and piles of other parts. If you are building a Scout 80 and have the room (and a trailer), this might be a good start.
There is a fine line between the words “collection” and “hoard”.
Considering the absurd prices they are getting for early Bronco’s, I figure it’s only a matter of time before early Scout’s go thru the roof. Seems like a good deal to me, with room to negotiate. Unfortunately, I have to many Stokes in the fire that need to be finished, and sold before I jump on a deal like this. Doesn’t help when a body shop takes a year to paint your car…
What would be the asking price if this hoard was first gen Broncos?
Scouts have already gotten ridiculous. A neighbor had an early one in awful shape. I thought he’d have to pay somebody $100 to haul it away. Instead he put it on Hemmings and got $1100 after the site’s cut.
I love Scouts; my father had two, one first-year model and one last-year model. I thought the ’60 had the coolest wipers in the world. Each was independent! So neat to a boy.
However, no vehicle rusts faster than a Scout. At the end of its life, the first one’s body panels consisted mostly of decommissioned Kentucky road signs that my brother got free from his first state job. The 1980 model, which for some reason I always thought was registered as an ’81 but no matter, had rust forming in the seams before he traded it for a new Blazer in ’86.
This collection might be worth $5k in Texas for a while, but any buyer who lives in a humid area will need to consider carefully just how long they’ll need to keep these treasures outside….
Yes, maybe a good value deal for just the right person, though it’s a limited buyer group I’d think. someone who owns/works on Scouts and can use or sell on the parts, who has a lot of time on their hands to sort through and strip everything out, who has space on their property to store them while this happens, who doesn’t live too far from the seller, and preferably has their own car-hauling rig so the cost of moving all 12 vehicles can be kept to a minimum..? can’t imagine there are too many people fit that description.
I’d agree with other commenters above that it does seem a little odd behavior for someone who must clearly be an IH Scout enthusiast (because they’ve accumulated 12 of them) yet they park the vehicles out in a field where they will slowly rust away? Maybe the seller was restoring Scouts and this was their field of spare parts cars. They do appear to have been quite well “picked over”.
Bring in a crusher Junk
I parted out around 6 Scout 80’s, every single good part sold for good money, really nothing was left. Lots of customers.
Wow, what a collection. You could make some good ones out of that bunch and sell parts off of the rest. i do love Scouts.But I am 78 now and don’t think I have another restoration in me. Wishing I was younger and had the room for it. Thanks for the posting.
A fantastic opportunity for someone to build some alternatives to the early Bronco craze. 3′ body and suspension lifts, disc brakes, LS motors, HD bumpers in a high quality build and you can sell them to high rollers for $125K+
I still remember when trucks like these were new. I entertained buying one back in the day but I always wanted one with the WHOLE engine instead of just half of it. I thought one of these with a 266 or 304 would be a nice mover, and not too thirsty. The 152 engines were worked very hard but still hung in there. Parts for the 4cyl are not too bad as long as you don’t need con-rod bearings, which are $100.00 a hole, and limited as to size.
But, I have to be realistic; I’m 3-Score and 12, and running out of gas. It’s a challenge to look after my die-cast collection, my writing efforts, and to join up with my buddies on sites like this…
yeah, 1/2 those interested R a lill too long in the tooth 4 da “wrk”..
“,,,and have the room (and a trailer), this might be,,,”
more den`a trailer.
I wished 1 as a youngster, just when the IH ‘light duty’ went bottom up. Gota bronk cuz the Fed law then said “make replacement prts 7 yrs only”.
Buds here have em. I question my choice on just the 80, 800, not “II” (cept for the 2nd Issuzu, er Nissan oiler wid turbo). Glad ford copied (& improved on) these models here. I used mine for several decades (in woods mostly but some hwy too). Now as I restore it to 70% rd / 30% off I return to the 80/800 looks for my daughter.
The same era bronk has much more to offer (poor IH was failing). For the ‘collector’ I’m thinkin the Heep has even more.. Sure U can buy every single nut, bolt, more – for the bronk (like ‘stang) but still the jeep Jeep (well, CJ/TJ, Wrangler) has w a y more for that guy who wants the ultimate in bolt ons. Show off to yer friends: “Look what I got !” Scrambler w/W. Cab or “Alaska Postal” might B “it” 4 me~
Wow!, this is certainly fun to see, but I don’t have enough trailers or room the store the entire collection. Good opportunity for someone who does, and is maybe 20 or 30 years younger than most of us guys on Barnfinds.
I see 3, maybe 4 candidates for complete vehicle status, with transfer cases and axles from the others going to the off-road or rock climbing crowds. $5,000 ain’t a bad price, but as has been mentioned, rust and IH trucks are really frequently found in intimate contact with one another. It’s not just Scouts that rust into dust; the whole light line does, from ’61 on. That’s understandable, as the light line was never a sales leader the way the medium and heavy lines were: they suffered from spotty rust-proofing, if they got any at all. The light line was more or less an afterthought, and IHC treated it as such.
I can see a couple that I’d love to tie into, but common sense and the HOA say otherwise.
Scouts are neat vehicles, especially the first series, but from what I remember back in the day, they were not that well made. Cool, but kind of cheap. I’d still like one today though.
I would never understand why if you have a classic car or vehicle you won’t invest on tarps and car covers to protect it from the elements.. as a car guy it hurts me to see people say “it’s not for sale it’s a project I’m working on” but the vehicle is been destroyed by the elements.. 😮💨 then they realized they won’t finish the project and they want to get top dollar for a rust bucket.