Vintage 4x4s really are a treat to own, owing to the fact that they look good scruffy, and in many instances, are often more appealing to onlookers and potential buyers alike if the outside hasn’t been shined to perfection. This 1974 International Harvester Scout is a great example of such a vehicle, as its roughshod appearance coupled with new wheels and tires and a mild lift kit give it great presence. This is actually the exact vibe I’m shooting for with my 1986 Isuzu Trooper project, and I need to know the name of those wheels! Find the Scout here on eBay where bidding is at $14,300 with no reserve.
The seller notes that the Scout came from New Mexico before it arrived in Florida, and you can’t ask for a better zip code in terms of helping to ensure the tin worm won’t ruin an otherwise great specimen. The only rust noted is an area in the rear cargo bay floor that was previously patched; the seller offers that it could be done to a higher degree of quality if the next owner wishes to have the patch panel removed and replaced. It is powered by a 345 V8 paired to a 727 automatic transmission, and the seller notes he purposefully left the cosmetics alone and focused just on freshening up the truck mechanically.
The interior is another bright spot, as despite the relentless sun of the American southwest region, the cabin doesn’t appear to be suffering all that much. Perhaps the Scout was parked inside regularly, or just used as a commuter vehicle – how else do you explain that it looks this good still with 71,238 original miles listed? The windshield is new, along with the rubber sea that holds it in, and the seller also notes that the shifter assembly has been re-routed to a floor shifting arrangement. That’s always an interesting update, in my opinion, because one of the best things about an older truck is just slamming it into gear with the ease of a column shift.
The drivetrain is said to be healthy, and benefits for several recent mechanical improvements. These include a transmission refresh that included new seals; a new dual exhaust with turbo mufflers; new tie rod ends; new brakes and calipers; a four inch Rough Country lift kit; and much more. The seller doesn’t report much on the health of the 345, but perhaps no news is good news. The paint could clearly be freshened up, but would you bother? It looks great as-is, like most survivors, and giving it fresh paint would strip away the character that only a genuinely used truck can pull off. The lift kit is a great upgrade, and the wheel and tire combo is spot on. Overall, a good truck to buy and use or restore until it’s brand new again – hard to go wrong either way.
Perfect amount of character. I believe driving this will triple your amount of chest hair and give you an insatiable appetite for Camels.
Drive it as is, not every car needs to be restored, including this one.
Steve R
At fewer that 100,000 miles, any 345 I’ve know (which had been maintained properly) is just beginning to run really well. They have a nearly unlimited life span. I’ve known many of them, owing to my employment in a local garage that contracted ther maintenance of a local school bus fleet comprised entirely of IH buses powered with 345’s with four speed transmissions. They were a great power plant, three times the engines that Chevy 350’s claimed to be, if the criteria included durability, power, and low end torque. The same engine could be found in Scouts, pickups, school buses and 32,000 pound GVW dump trucks! I think Roadway Express even had a bunch of IH Loadstars, probably 345’s or 392’s, as city tractors to pull their trailers in pick-up-and-delivery urban routes.
I don’t remember Roadway running Internationals but I definitely remember the old Ford C series (?) cabovers with 429 gas engines.
Roadway…always on the road and always in the way lol!
I’d go for the 80/800 model.
One thing folks don’t often think abt is the buying of an older car “that’s the ‘car’ it was back in the day. Compare it to the others of the era.” That will be the best it can get. This would have compared to the cherokee, bronk and blazer. I’d want 1 of the latter 2 as my own (not IH or jeep).
This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available.
Ended: May 29, 2021 , 3:12PM
Starting bid:US $5,000.00
[ 0 bids ]
Item location:Winter Garden, Florida
This is fine with me. I would want to give it a paint job and keep on driving it. Some body and interior parts can be challenging to find but not impossible. Brake drums also can be a problem but I might be tempted to look at converting to disc brakes. Scouts could have up to three different distributors: Holley (most common), Prestolite, and Delco (least common). I would prefer the Delco because you can still get nearly everything for it but the other two are getting challenging. Vacuum advance for a Holley or Prestolite can be difficult to locate. Some people are converting to an HEI distributor which is an ideal change but expensive. I’d settle for finding a Delco and soldier on…
@geomechs – since this is a ’74 – it should have discs on the front end already, I believe.
I want this Scout. Have a 64 Willy flat fender and had a 67 CJ 5 before that. Would trade them both straight across.
Wish I’d held onto my Scout for a few more years, as it’s value would not have changed. It’s growing cancer would have been balanced out by ever rising sell prices.
Not sure where the author is seeing the seller note that the transmission was converted from column to floor shift. All automatic Scout IIs came from the factory with a floor shifter like what’s shown in the listing.
I was puzzled by that too, Billy. Pretty common knowledge that the Scouts were all floor shifts – whether autos or manuals.
Surprised that no one has commented on the seats, seat bases and center console not being original. Not bad looking, but not Scout parts.