1974 International Scout Ii Sport Utility 2-door 345v8, Automatic, 4x4, Ps, Pb. on 2040-cars

ATTENTION SCAMMERS: Please don't waste my time or yours. NO, you can't pay the full amount (or extra) by Paypal. I don't care what your story is unless it's highly entertaining and even then the answer is still NO. I will not be accepting magic beans or happy thoughts as payment. If you are a serious buyer please read on and see my payment terms below. Thank you.

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION AND PAYMENT TERMS BEFORE BIDDING.

1974 International Scout II Equipped with: 345 V8, Torqueflite 727 Automatic Transmission, Power Steering, Power Brakes (front disk), Four Wheel Drive, Dana 44s front and rear, High/Low range Transfer Case, Manual Locking Hubs, Removable Hard Top.

This truck is not perfect but if you consider that it is a forty year old four wheel drive, I think you will agree that is in better shape than many you are likely to find of this age. You are welcome and encouraged to come inspect the truck in person before bidding but I realize that is not possible for most people so please feel free to ask any questions that you may have (before bidding). If your question requires more than a short typed answer, please leave your phone number so that I can call you. I have more pictures of the truck that I can email and if you want a picture of something specific I will do my best to accommodate you (please include your email address).

Highlights/Upgrades and new or recent parts:

-Tires are 33” and are almost new (approx 90% tread in front and 80% in back)

-Upholstery is almost brand new and seats look great with no tears or burns. Carpet is fairly new and in good condition also. Rear seat is the “fold and tumble” style.

-Heavy Duty front and rear bumpers with “D” ring brackets. (rear bumper is not welded directly to the frame and I would not recommend it be used for towing until welded more substantially)

-Brand new SSII grill. (these were a factory option but did not come stock on this particular scout)

-Suspension lift with all new Superlift leaf springs. I do not know when the springs were added but they are recent enough that the part number stickers are still visible. (Part number 01-590R- FRT) I believe the suspension lift to be roughly 3 1/2”.

-Body lift ( 3” bushings I believe).

-4 point family style roll cage that is welded to the cab floor and has mounts for a high lift jack.

-Steering Column replaced including steering shaft joint at power steering box.

-Grant Steering Wheel

-Thrush brand (Flowmaster style) mufflers. (has a nice slightly aggressive tone at idle but not too loud)

-Newer gas charged shocks

-Ignition system is almost entirely new. New Spark Plugs, Almost New Wires, New Cap and Rotor,

New Points and condenser, New Coil. (You can convert to Electronic ignition for around $125)

-New Oil Pressure sending Unit. (Dash gauge reads low because I had a hard time finding the correct sending unit. International hasn't been around for a while and local parts stores have either no part numbers or conflicting part numbers)

-New Mechanical oil Pressure Gauge. (oil pressure is 20-25psi at idle with a warm engine and around 40+ psi at highway speed which is well within the norm for these engines if you research it) (oil pressure is approximately 40psi at cold idle)

-New Voltage Gauge (dashboard amperage gauge not connected)

-Under hood has been completely detailed with fenders and firewall painted black. Valve covers, heads, intake manifold, waterpump, etc all have fairly new paint.

-Suspension components and outside/underside of frame rails degreased, pressure washed, and painted satin black.

-Carburetor (2 bbl) was rebuilt in 2013.

-Carburetor electric choke added 2014 by me (weather has been warm here so it hasn't been dialed in yet for winter temperatures)

-Armrests and Dashboard were replaced with good condition used items which were carefully prepped and then painted with a high quality satin black.

-Door panels, center console, front seat bases, and transmission tunnel cover were also carefully prepped and painted with high quality satin black.

-Door lock tumblers are new. *Also included are matching key tumblers for the ignition and liftgate hatch that I have not had time to install. (I do not have the key for the current liftgate latch so it cannot be locked until it is replaced)

-MP3 CD player with USB memory stick input.

-New transfer case and Automatic transmission shifter boots. (Factory gear shift indicator has been lost over the years so I installed a shifter boot instead)

-New Speedometer Cable and Shifter Cable.

-All Gauges work (Amp gauge disconnected) *(Fuel gauge reads 3/4 tank when full but then drops accurately afterward)

-Gauge lenses cleaned and needles painted fresh red.

-Turn signals, Side Marker lights, Headlights (high and low beams), tail lights, brake lights, all work.

-New Tail light lenses

-Windshield wipers work (new blades)

-Heat/Defrost work on both high and low fan speeds.

-Window regulators, and door linkage have been greased/oiled. Drivers window rolls up and down well. Passenger window is a little stiff when rolled all the way down and regulator is a little sloppy but shouldn't need replacing anytime soon.

-Rallye Stripe decals are brand new. (I have the matching decals for the top of fenders and hood that you can install if you choose to)

History:

I bought the scout from a gentleman in Phoenix who had traded someone else another vehicle for it with the intentions of having it as a fun second car to drive his kids in. I believe he only had it for a few months and during that time it mostly sat (with the neighbors sprinklers hitting it daily unfortunately). I was able to talk to the previous owner he had traded with and it is my understanding that he had purchased the scout as a mostly complete project and had done even more work to complete it himself. I believe that most of the significant work (paint, engine, etc) was done by the prior owner and so I can only give you my educated guess at the quality of that work and I believe it to be good. I haven't had the scout for that long but I have also spent a lot of money and many hours improving it. I had intentions of bringing it even farther along than it is now but have run out of time and garage space. I have probably only put a few hundred miles on it but when I first purchased it I drove it approximately 50 miles across phoenix at highway speed on a 110 degree day which is a pretty good test. The engine ran cool and the scout is stable and predictable at 65mph (fastest I've driven it). The steering is fairly tight and the scout doesn't wander around within the lane at highway speed. Since then, it has mostly sat in my garage while I've been working on it other than the occasional trip to the store.

Paint and Body:

I spent a significant amount of time polishing the paint when I first got it and I can tell you that although the paint job is not show quality, I believe that it is good quality (much better than you would normally see on a 40 year old scout) Please look closely at the pictures and judge for yourself. I believe that whoever did the paint spent some time trying to do a good job. The door jams, tailgate jams, roof liftgate jams, and under hood jams have all been painted and the paint appears to be adhering well which should indicate good prep work. The door, fender, and hood alignment are also reasonably good (again, not perfect, but better than you would normally see on a vehicle this age). The door hinges are also solid and doors open and close well. Some areas of the very top of the roof look like it was either never wet sanded/polished or possibly has tree sap buildup. It may polish out with some effort but I never got to it. It's high enough off the ground that you normally wouldn't see it anyway. The very top of the roof also has some small dings/dents that you can't normally see unless you are above the scout. (I have a second hard top and lift gate for the scout that will be included at the “buy it now price” or higher. The top is in good used condition including the glass but will need painting.) The paint is dark non metallic blue and shines up well although the hood has some marks from water spots that I was unable to polish out. The pictures were taken just a few days ago and are accurate as far as looks and condition. The thunderstorm in the background made for more interesting photographs but the dark clouds made it harder to show the color of the scout. Because the paint is dark and very glossy, it can almost look black under certain lighting conditions which hides the stripes but I actually like the effect. It makes the stripes more subtle which is what I wanted. The rallye stripes are brand new and I will also be including the matching stripes that go on the top of the fenders and hood. The body is very straight and solid for it's age and I am guessing that it has spent most of its life in Arizona or another dry climate. The ONLY rust that I have found is around the body mount that is right below the drivers feet and I have included a picture of the repairs that have been made as well as pictures of the cab floor with the carpet out showing that it is clean with no rust. An area of the cab floor near the drivers feet has been patched with new metal and welded, an area of the inner wheel well just in front of the drivers feet has been cut out where it has been rusted, and the bottom of the metal body mount (where it rests on the body mount) has been braced with a thick piece of steel. The repairs were all made by a previous owner and should be fine for day to day driving and light offroading but may need some attention for severe offroading with serious twisting and straining of the body and suspension. I believe the rest of the scout to be rust free and have included pictures of the undercarriage and rocker panels. I also have pictures of the inside bottom of the doors and the inner area of the cowell under the windshield with the cover off showing no rust as well (No, I did not find the factory build sheet that is sometimes placed here).

Mechanics:

The engine starts quickly and shuts off quickly which should indicate reasonably good compression. It idles and runs smooth and the oil pressure is well within the norm for these engines. Oil pressure is approximately 40psi+ at cold startup and with a warm engine it has 20-25 psi at idle and 40+ at highway speed. I see areas of the engine with oil seepage but no motor oil has leaked onto the ground while I have had it. It does sometimes have a puff of gray smoke at startup which could indicate leaking valve seals (sometimes the rubber gets old and cracks) but I also believe the heads may have been rebuilt so I really cant say for sure. The heads look like they have been off of the engine and the obvious reason would have been to rebuild them but I do not have any proof of this. The heads are painted black and the paint lines where the heads meet the head gasket at the block look too perfect to have been painted while the heads were attached to the block. (The block is dirty) The machined metal surface where the intake manifold meets the heads is also unpainted and shiny so whatever work has been done was not done too long ago. The intake manifold and carb are 2 bbl. The temperature gauge stays below the half way mark when idling for extended periods or driving at highway speeds. The transmission shifts smoothly but does have a sizeable leak at the shift selector rod. This is fairly common on these transmissions and you can research it for yourself easily. Its ugly, but not a big deal. It probably leaks around a quart per month if its just sitting. It seems to leak less when driven frequently. I bought a new seal for it and intended to replace it myself when I replaced the speedometer and shifter cables. It is possible to replace it from the outside without having to go to a transmission shop by using a special tool which I bought. Good versions of these tools cost around $50 but unfortunately I bought the $25 version and It was not machined properly so it wouldn't fit. I am including the replacement shift seal and the tool just so you can see how the tool works and buy a better quality version if you choose to do it yourself. I just ran out of time to order a new one. You can easily see and get to the seal from above by removing the transmission tunnel cover which takes about 5 minutes on a scout. I also have pictures of the leaking seal from above so you can see what I am talking about. The new shifter cable lets the gear selector lever move freely like brand new but may still need some final adjustments. I have only tested the four wheel drive briefly when I first bought it and it worked fine but I did not take it off road or give it any hard testing. I was mostly just making sure everything engaged. Since then I have determined that the front drive shaft has way too much play at the slip joint and should be replaced. I am including a good condition used replacement that I bought from a reputable Scout parts supplier. It has been cleaned and painted and is shown in the picture with the spare hard top. I have also had the front end on jack stands and re-verified that the manual hubs, front axles, and front driveshaft engage and disengage as they should.

Items you may choose to address:

-The gas tank has a dent that diminishes its capacity some (I'm guessing by a couple gallons). I am including a replacement gas tank in good shape that will need to be cleaned out and possibly resealed.

-The neutral safety switch has been bypassed and so it IS possible to start the truck in gear. I assume this was done when the steering column was replaced and to start the truck you must turn the key to the run position and push a button on the dash next to the column.

-*The rear differential is fully locked. Some people refer to it as a “lincoln locker” referring to using a lincoln welder to weld and lock the differential. What this means is that as you turn a corner, the outside tire is not allowed to rotate faster than the inside tire. This is why the rear tires have worn faster than the front. I had intended to replace it with a traditional “locker” that would allow the outside tire to ratchet faster and still provide off road performance. If you intend to turn this into a serious off road beast then this may actually be a plus to you but it is not an ideal setup for a daily driver. As a consequence of the rear differential being fully locked, sometimes you hear the rear tires chirp around sharp turns on pavement and the rear suspension sometimes gets in a bit of a bind which makes the truck lean slightly to the side. If you are mechanical and  don't mind doing the work yourself, you can replace the rear differential yourself for less than a couple hundred dollars with a used unit. If you want to have a shop do the work for you, you can probably plan on spending approximately $500 for a used replacement limited slip or open type differential or up to $1000 for a higher end locking type or selectable locker (depending on the shops in your area of course). I regret not being able to replace the rear differential before putting it up for sale because I realize it can sound intimidating to a potential bidder but if it is something that concerns you, please do a little research to understand the different types of differentials that are available and I will also be happy to talk to you about it myself. There are a lot of options and a lot of opinions regarding which is best. It really comes down to what type of environment you are going to be driving and four wheeling in. I believe the gear ratio to be 3.73.

Payment:

A $500 deposit via paypal or by cash in person is required within 24 hours of auction end. THIS DEPOSIT IS NON REFUNDABLE FOR ANY REASON. I say this clearly to avoid pay pal scams and to ensure that you are a serious buyer. If you are not serious enough to risk $500 after having a chance to ask any questions first, then you are not serious enough to bid on this truck. The remainder of the purchase price is due within 7 days of the auction end. The remainder must be paid by cash in person or cash deposited into my bank. I MAY elect to allow a cashiers check or electronic transfer (depending on the bank) after talking to you but I will not release the truck or the title until I physically have the cash in my hand. That means that my bank must first clear the cashiers check/deposit and let me withdraw the cash. Please plan ahead and be prepared to pay. I am serious about selling the scout and have not put an insanely high reserve price on it just to test the market. I have watched these sell on ebay and while it is much nicer than some it is admittedly not as nice as others and I have tried to price it accordingly. Please don't ask me what the reserve is. I will not tell you. The scout must be picked up within 7 days of auction end and shipping is the buyers responsibility. I am willing to meet a shipping company within a short distance of my house to make pickup easier. If you are having trouble arranging shipping I may elect to give you a little more time but this is my option and not a requirement so please plan ahead and be prepared. I would strongly recommend having the scout shipped unless you are a local buyer. Although I believe it to be a solid truck and in very good condition for its age, it is still a 40 year old vehicle and I have not personally taken it on any long trips. This vehicle is being sold as-is, where-is with no warranty expressed or implied. It's your responsibility to research registration and/or title transfer in your area before bidding. The truck has an Arizona title in my name with “box c” selected which means there is an odometer reading “discrepancy” so the odometer may have been replaced at some time or the speedometer may have been disconnected as it was when I bought it. The odometer currently reads 43,747 (may go up some during the auction) but I do not know how many miles are actually on the vehicle. I will have my signature notarized on the title once you have paid in full.

I reserve the right to end the auction early and to sell the truck locally.

Also, to be clear... The extra hard top and liftgate seen in the pictures WILL be included for the “buy it now” price or higher. If my reserve is met, but the vehicle sells for less than the “buy it now price”. I will sell the top and liftgate for an additional $300. If you buy the scout and have it shipped, I can meet the shipper within a short distance to my house with the scout for pickup. There are large parking lots and a sports arena nearby. I do not have a way to transport the top though because of its size. It must be picked up at my house.

You can contact me through ebay or email at gadsen1976@gmail.com

Thank you for your interest!