International Scout


The International Scout is an off-road vehicle produced by International Harvester from 1960 to 1980. Created as a competitor for the Jeep CJ, the Scout was the precursor of more sophisticated SUVs, including the Ford Bronco, Chevrolet Blazer, and the later Jeep Cherokee.
Produced for two generations, the Scout was designed as an open-top two-door truck as a base vehicle with options to configure it as a station wagon, half-cab pickup truck, or a soft-top convertible.
International Harvester assembled the model line in its facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

History

International Harvester began building trucks and pickups in 1907. In 1953, International began selling a truck-based people carrier, the Travelall. During the late 1950s, International began to design a competitor for the two-door Jeep CJ 4x4. The 1961 model year Scout 80 debuted in late 1960.
Later, chief designer Ted Ornas recalled:

...the market potential for a four-wheel drive recreational vehicle was an unknown quantity in the early 1950s. The only such vehicle offered in the post-war period was the Willys Jeep, a version of the military jeep produced for World War II. It was a flat-sided bare-bones product, and American military personnel learned to appreciate its ability to maneuver over rough terrain. Sales volume was very low. In early 1958, we were directed to develop a concept proposal to enter this small market. So help me, Mr. Reese, the engineering manager, said 'design something to replace the horse.' There was no product definition to use as a guide. It was even proposed to use the defunct Henry J body tooling. Compound body surfaces were considered too far out for this type of vehicle. The military jeep was thought to have the correct appearance. Our design sketches with the flat-side, no-contour look never excited the executive committee. The program began to die. One night while sitting at our kitchen table, I dashed off this rough sketch on a scrap mat board. It had contoured sides and was designed for plastic tooling. The next morning it was shown to a committee member. He reviewed it with controlled enthusiasm, but revived interest in the program. We were off and running. Goodyear produced many plastic parts for WWII and formed a large plastic engineering group. We entered a program with them, a scale model was vacuum formed to simulate body assembly. This model received executive approval for appearance. By July 1959, Goodyear completed their costing, and because of the high costs, the plastic program was cancelled. By this time, the contoured design met with executive approval and a decision was made to convert the body design to steel. 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 first Scout was introduced in 1960. A concept for its replacement was initiated in 1964 and approved for production in mid-1965. The Scout II was introduced in 1971. The basic sheet metal remained unchanged until production stopped on October 21, 1980. During the 20-year period, 532,674 Scouts were produced. The Scout, introduced as a commercial utility pickup in 1960, set the stage for future four-wheel drive recreational vehicles of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Print slogans and marketing jingles during the 1970s signaled its appeal in the words, "International Scout: Anything less is just a car."

Line tickets

When an order for an IH vehicle was sent to the factory, a factory plan or construction sheet was created with the new vehicle's VIN or ID number and all the codes for standard equipment and options used by the salesman that issued the order. This sheet was used to assemble the vehicle from beginning to finish. After the vehicle was assembled, shipped, and sold, the so-called line ticket identified the engine type, transmission type, drive line, paint codes, gear ratio, and standard and optional equipment specific to that vehicle. Different parts were used on the same model in the same year. A small copy of the line ticket was attached to each vehicle during the building process at the factory. The location of the ticket varied: 1971–1976 Scout IIs had their copies mounted under their hoods, attached to the cowl cover panels. The 1977–1980 Scout IIs had their copies on the inside of the glove box doors, and 1969–1975 pickups and Travelalls had them attached to the back of the glove boxes; depressing the keeper tabs on each side of the box lets the box swing down to reveal the ticket. If lost, line tickets can be ordered through several Scout parts specialists due to their diligence in maintaining these valuable resources.

Models and variants

Scout models include:
  • Scout 80 : Original standard model.
  • *Scout 800 : Same overall design as 80, with upgrades.
  • *Scout 810 ; some early Scout IIs contain Scout 810 badging on the glove box.
  • Scout II : Later standard model with a removable soft or hard top.
  • *Scout II Terra : Light pickup truck model.
  • *Scout II Traveler : Sold with removable fiberglass hardtop and optional third row of seats.
  • *Super Scout II : Sold with removable fabric doors, roll bar, and soft top. The soft-top model was tagged the "SSII" by IH marketing. Eventually, the "SS" letters were assumed to stand for "Super Scout", the name this model is called presently.

    Scout 80 and 800

80

Scout 80s were built between 1960 and 1965. These models were identifiable by removable sliding side windows in 1960–1961 and even some very early 1962 models, a fold-down windshield, vacuum windshield wipers mounted to the top of the windshield, and an IH logo in the center of the grille and tailgate. The Scout 80 had a gasoline-powered International 152 inline-four as its standard engine.

Red Carpet

The first special package was the "Red Carpet" series, celebrating the 100,000th Scout manufactured by International; only 3,000 were produced. It had a red interior with a white exterior, full-length headliner, full floor mats, and a special silver-plated medallion affixed to the door, which read "Custom". This Scout was a step up from regular models; it was marketed to attract more people and was often advertised with women in mind. Each International dealer in the United States received one Red Carpet Scout for use in parades, in the showroom, and for promotional purposes.

Campermobile

During the early 1960s, International experimented with a camper body permanently mounted to the Scout 80. The roof was raised to nearly double the original height, tented sleeping bunks folded out from the sides, and the rear of the body was extended significantly. The tailgate/liftgate system was replaced with one large ambulance-style swinging door. Plans included that the unit could be purchased as a stripped-down shell, or as a "deluxe" unit with a dinette set, stand-up galley, and a screened chemical toilet that retracted into the wall. The May 1963 issue of Mechanix Illustrated contained a full-color advertisement for the Scout Camper on the inside cover, which features two artist's renderings of the unit and a form to fill out and send in for free literature. The camper appeared again in the May 1963 issue of Popular Science, this time in an actual photo as part of a two-page article about pickup campers. Production of these units was low due to limited orders, and they are now rare.

Early 800

The final run of the Scout 80s were built in 1965 and the new 800 was fully developed during 1966. However, some Scouts built in the later months of 1965 are considered Scout 800s, as indicated by their VIN and Line Setting Ticket. An assumed 3000 of these "1965 1/2" Scouts exist. Existing parts were used in piecing together these new 800 models, such as the hood that retained the tie-down loop that would hold down the 80's folding windshield, a feature the 800 lacked. This was likely due to an overstock of 80 parts from the years prior. The front grille, also from the 80, featured a gold-plated IH emblem on a black backing piece secured to wire mesh. In the new for 1966 models of the 800, the wire mesh grille stayed but the center emblem changed to spell "INTERNATIONAL".
A stronger Dana 44 axle was available in the 800 until 1968, though early 800 models only used the 80's weaker Dana 27 axle, which was more prone to axle shafts breaking during heavy off-road use. By 1968, Scout 800s came with 4-wheel drive as standard.

800

The Scout 800 replaced the Scout 80 in 1965 and was built from 1965 to 1968. These models had many improvements in comfort and design, including bucket seats, better instrumentation and heating systems, an updated dashboard, optional rear seats, and an optional inline-four or inline-six. Beginning in March 1967, International's V8 engine was also offered. Externally, changes were limited to an anodized aluminum grille with a rectangular "International" logo placed on the grille, door handles with buttons, and a tailgate without hooks.
The base engine was a naturally aspirated International "Comanche 152" inline-four producing, of which a turbocharged version producing, the 152-T, was also offered. In August 1966, the 152-T was complemented by the larger 196-4, which used less fuel with the same power output. The 152-T was discontinued during early 1968. A fold-down windshield was still available as an option, but few were ordered because it was not advertised. The vacuum-powered wipers were moved to the bottom of the windshield frame with the fixed windshield.
Beginning in early 1966, International also offered the Scout 800 Sportop, which had an upgraded interior and a unique fiberglass top with a slanted rear roof and a Continental spare tire kit. The "Champagne Series" Scout was an upscale trim level offered in the Scout 80 and later Scout 800 models that featured a headliner, door panels, and carpet.