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Workhorse: 1979 International Harvester Scout Terra

This truck is pretty recognizable as an International Harvester vehicle but I wasn’t too familiar with it when I first saw it. A 1979 International Harvester Scout Terra is really a pretty unique truck. This one is listed for auction here on eBay and only has one bid so far. The bid is for $5,000 and it appears to have met any reserve price placed by the seller. The truck is located in Columbia, Missouri and is titled in Oklahoma. It is adorned with a Western snow plow and rear SnowEx Spreader. There are three days remaining in the auction.

There are no wide angle pictures of the interior of this 4WD truck. It is equipped with a 345 cubic inch V8 engine backed by an automatic transmission. Mileage on the odometer shows 23,544 miles which probably represents at least one time around the block. The seller has posted 5 videos on YouTube including a cold start, walk around and videos of the snow plow and spreader.

The seller has owned this 1979 Scout Terra for 11 years. Its has manual locking front hubs and a removable hardtop cab. The hood, floor boards and bed have been Rhino-lined to stop rust that had started. From the description, it appears that the truck was not titled in the current owner’s name because it was used as a farm truck. The Scout Terra is equipped with a 7 foot Western Snow Plow.

A number of repairs and replacement items are mentioned. The seller is downsizing and no longer needs the utility of this vehicle. The engine is said to run well but the ad discloses that exhaust gas is bubbling in the radiator fluid which may indicate that some engine work is needed. The rear of the truck has a SnowEx spreader with a 5.75 cubic foot hopper. Due to its primary use there is rust throughout the vehicle although it looks really nice in the pictures.

Comments

  1. Cadmanls Member

    Unfortunately these didn’t fair well in the rust belt but were tough trucks. Using it to plow it has indeed seen winter weather. Rust never sleeps as they say.

    Like 2
    • Stan

      Neil Young said it best Cadman

      Like 1
  2. Charles Thomas

    So happy that I live in the Pacific Northwest where we don’t salt the roads, but instead spread volcanic cinders. So sad to see what rust does to a fine machine.

    Like 0
  3. HoA Howard A Member

    Whoa, now, here’s a perfect example how silly this hobby is. Here you have, what I would consider the absolute ZENITH in IH Scouts, and 1 (one) bid? ( The sellers?)
    Okay, 1st, I really do believe the mileage, if 120K, I all but guarantee it wouldn’t look like this. This is all yearly usage, not long distance wear. It reminds me of my ’51 Willys pickup that had 19,000 miles, all he did was plow the drive, and that’s just what you have here. HOWEVER, and 2nd, don’t let the low mileage fool you, plowing is the hardest thing one can do with a Scout, so while the truck generally didn’t run in a salt bath( the salter on the back is a different story) it may have a decent body, but rest assured, it will need constant repair,again, to a point. At that point, you’ll have the most dependable vehicle ever made. I know, that’s a hefty claim, but made my living with IH trucks( among others) and I swear by them. It’s a smokin’ find, I simply can’t understand why it’s not gone. “In the shed since new”, THIS IS THE ONE YOU WANT,folks,sorry for shouting at this hour, but I’d love to have this, where is it again? Missora’,,,dang, why wasn’t it in Denver? Because it would be gone by now, that’s why. Great find, just lose the plow. Possible scenarios?
    A) predicted( by me) market meltdown
    B) market hype FOS
    C) nobody today has ever heard of an IH Scout
    D) All of the above

    Like 12
    • Boatman Member

      I agree, Howard. This truck has not seen much over-the-road use at all. People better wake up.

      Like 3
  4. Connecticut mark

    Take this over any early Bronco. Nice looker big and tough.

    Like 8
  5. Harvey Harvey Member

    Exhaust gas bubbling in the radiator is not going to be a cheap fix:-)

    Like 1
    • Boatman Member

      Head gasket, or cracked head or block.

      Like 2
  6. geomechs geomechs Member

    I liked the Scout II’s but I was never a fan of the Terra or Traveller. However, others did and that’s what matters. Since there’s a lot more snow in the Salt Belt I can understand why people will put blades on trucks. Personally it’s a major turnoff; if this truck came my way the blade would disappear and the salt bucket would be destroyed. I keep hearing that these are serious rusters but from what I’ve seen they aren’t any worse than the others. Of course I grew up in the Chinook Belt where salt was used on the roads about as often as it was in Needles CA so I’m far from an authority. Like the others I hope this one finds a good home…

    Like 6
  7. Lee C

    Not titled to the current owner for 11 years…that’s gonna be a helluva penalty for non transfer…some states will almost rape you for not transferring the title, much less for over 11 years! Would be cheaper to apply for a duplicate title in the registered owners name and transfer it to the new buyer…

    Like 1
  8. AndyinMA

    That salt spreader on the back is like assisted suicide

    Like 6
  9. Frank D Member

    Trust me I tell you the rust is not from the SnowEx spreader. These things were rust buckets period. I recall picking up Scout quarter panels from IHI parts in Peabody, Massachusetts years ago.

    Like 1
  10. Glenn Schwass Member

    It lived this long and plowing snow and spreading salt is the last thing you want to do with it. It will be eaten alive like they all were here in the Northeast.

    Like 1
  11. chrlsful

    too biga plow for the lill guy (ifa scout II). Lotsa frnt end wrk, more rust than imagined, blown motor. Plus point? asa terra the top is still removable…wish the windshield flipped like the 80/800 (get under low branches, have that ‘cycle feel…

    Like 0
  12. Blueprint

    VW owns the rights to the Scout name (they purshased Navistar awhile back) and bringing it back as a stand-alone brand of electric trucks and SUVs. Problem is, anyone younger than Gen X has never heard of Scouts!

    Like 2
    • geomechs geomechs Member

      Yeah, I saw some images today. The “EV ONLY” idea really puts a bad taste in my mouth. There should be a combination of both because the EV is going to have some major problems in many areas.

      Like 3
      • HoA Howard A Member

        We all know, or should, this “EV” thing is nothing but a band-aide on a heart attack. It’s today’s hot button, and gaining steam. Not to turn this into an EV vs. gas thing, in a city setting it could easily work, provided it doesn’t collapse the fragile grid, but an EV 4 wheel drive doesn’t make a lick of sense. Where these go, I don’t recall a charging station at the top of Cottonwood Pass, and the funniest thing I saw, is this,,
        https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/qoua2o/using_a_gas_generator_to_charge_electric_car/

        Like 2

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