It’s quite the experience taking the old International Harvester Scout cross-country.
“Today is going to be the fun day.”
On the second day of our 800-mile classic rally from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Blythewood, South Carolina — the production site of a brand-new SUV and truck — the Scout Motors team gathered us outside our hotel stop in Lexington, Kentucky. We’d just finished a full 12-hour day exploring the back roads of Indiana and Ohio, stopping along the way from International Park and the Scout’s Fort Wayne manufacturing plant at Super Scout Specialists and unearthing even more amazing history, including a closer look at the very first production Scout. Now, we head deep into the Appalachian Mountains and onto the trails of rural Kentucky, where the Scouts are truly in their element.
After driving a restomodded Scout II with a 6.0-liter Vortec V-8 the first day (the white Scout in my first post), I spent this second day coming to terms with a more authentic Scout experience. In fact, this Tamarak Bronze 1979 Scout II Rallye was on loan to the Scout Motors team from Navistar, and originally served as a plant truck at the Fort Wayne facility.
This time around, I had a 345-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) International Harvester V-8, mated up to a 3-speed Chrysler A727 transmission (“T-407”, by IH’s code) and a Dana Model 20 (“TC-145”) transfer case. This particular Rallye came with a 3.07 rear axle according to the line setting ticket shown below, though available gear ratios ranged between 2.72 and 4.54 with several steps in between, while all Scout IIs after 1974 or so came with Dana 44 axles front and rear. (Earlier Scout II models used Dana 30s on the front by default).
Even after sitting disused for years on end, the Rallye proved an instantly charming companion as we made our way southeast out of Lexington, toward the woodlands outside McKee, Kentucky. Against today’s SUV experience of screens galore, automated driver assistance systems and set-and-forget drive modes, the Scout II doesn’t hit you with the same sort of information overload…and that is actually a welcome change. Part of the reason folks love these classic off-roaders so much is because they offer everything you need and nothing you don’t, from the simple and clear-to-read analog gauges to the chunky controls — especially the transfer case lever.
In the “luxuries” column, the Scout II does still offer some compelling options for an old-school SUV.
It’s not like International Harvester’s second-generation Scout had no creature comforts, though. First, I have to mention the fantastic ’70s color scheme that is the brown carpet, console and outer seat trim in conjunction with the plaid upholstery on the doors, the front bucket seats and the rear bench. I also thought the bright metal finish and textured look the HVAC vents was a nice touch on IH’s part. You even get cruise control and an AM/FM radio! They didn’t work, as you’d probably expect after 45 years, but it’s the thought that counts.
I had plenty of time to admire this near-stock Scout II’s patina and cushy ride as we took not one, not two, but three attempts at even making it to a trail on which we could actually get some in some proper trail time. Unfortunately, things didn’t look promising at first, as heavy rain swept through the Southeast the night before, turning what were navigable fords into treacherously deep lake crossings. With even the lifted restomod up to its doors, the likelihood our less-modified Scouts would make it through without serious issues was slim.
Eventually, we did find our way to a good trail. But it wasn’t completely trouble-free…
We spent the remainder of that morning and into the early afternoon working our way toward an identically flooded second trail. But, you know how the expression goes: “Third time’s a charm!”
And indeed it was, as we once again made our way off the hilly, narrow paved roads southwest of McKee and onto the third trail, near the S-Tree Recreation Area.
By this point, I came to love the old-school, properly rugged look and feel of the Scout: a sport ute that International Harvester marketed with “lifestyle” selling points we take for granted today, as we nearly drown in the veritable ocean of SUVs. “Anything less is just a car,” the company said. As we made our way into the woods, we all got out, locked our hubs and set the Scouts into four-wheel drive for what lay ahead. (Quick side note: Yes, the Scout II I was driving did have automatic locking front hubs. These SUVs came with one of two kinds, with the other being “Lock-o-Matic” hubs. After a few decades of, ahem, ‘deferred maintenance’, I decided it’d be a good idea not to chance it and manually locked them before hitting the more challenging parts).
As I contemplated that tagline and was charmed by one of IH’s last Scout IIs (the automaker ceased Scout production after the ’80 model year), the now-familiar thrum of that 345 suddenly stopped. Right as I pointed the rig onto the first decently steep incline, the engine died…taking most my steering and braking capability with it. With two other Scouts both in front and behind my rig, I managed to slowly bounce my way down the first hill, to the point where I could stop on level ground and crank the engine back into life.
Now, it’s worth noting in those circumstances my general lack of experience with carbureted engines, plus I’m not intimately familiar with how the carb’s been serviced throughout its life (bear in mind, this rig did sit for awhile, though it was tuned up before the trip). Once I recalibrated my brain to two-foot drive on those inclines, keeping a bit of throttle on while I also worked the brakes, I could at least keep the truck from stalling. Despite the issues on hills, I was still able to get the Scout to a safe spot, restart it and continue on through with the rest of the team on the rest of the trail and through a couple deep water crossings.
It’s also worth noting that, on the level, the Scout II performed flawlessly. Not only that, but it made the deeper of the two water crossings a cake walk. Sadly, the same couldn’t be said for this Chevy Silverado we found abandoned on the trail immediately after that crossing.
At least we had a better off-road experience than this owner…
As a testament to just how deep the water was (not to mention how much of a difference proper tires make off-road), this driver obviously had a serious issue after attempting to ford the several-feet-deep stream. We happened upon the truck stopped right in the middle of the trail, with the hood lifted and no other person in sight. It didn’t look like the truck had been there too long, but it still presented an obstacle for the rally team. Inadvertently or not, the Silverado driver managed just enough space for the Scouts and our new F-150 support truck to squeak by…though the truck hardly had an inch to spare.
Past the dead Silverado, we continued to trudge along the trail until we hit the campground, with a few Forest Service maintaining the site. From there, the other end of the trail is easier to navigate, so we took the opportunity to enjoy the view, unlock our hubs and head back down toward McKee for lunch — satisfied that after some searching through the Kentucky hillside, we were able to experience the Scouts in their best environment before losing the light.
One of the best parts of taking a cross-country trip like this is seeing parts of the country you’d never otherwise see. That’s the charm of iconic SUVs like the International Harvester Scout: It’s rugged enough to travel pretty much anywhere you want to go, and practical enough that your family can come along for the ride. In part, it’s responsible for the absolutely explosive popularity of the genre today (and yes, the Jeep CJ/Wrangler as well as the Ford Bronco, Chevy K5 Blazer and so many others played a huge role).
As we filled up back in town and made our way toward the rally’s next overnight stop in North Carolina, I couldn’t get over just how cool these Scouts are and the opportunity to come along for the ride. Everywhere we went, folks came up and asked us about each of the cars, usually remarking that they, their family or a friend had a Scout back in the day.
Here we are in 2024, and yet these SUVs that have been out of production for more than four decades — well before I came around — are drawing in admiring fans in droves. The “Scout” name has kept its staying power over the long years, and with the off-road SUV now hotter than ever, it’s high time the nameplate makes its comeback. In 2026, we’ll finally see that happen, as Scout Motors charges ahead with plans to build a brand-new factory to build a completely new (and fully electric) Scout SUV.
Ah…I said the ‘E’ word.
Though rallying the old-school Scout is an amazing trip down memory lane, the times are indeed a-changin’. We’re in the middle of a seismic shift akin to the invention of the SUV or even, if you want to be more dramatic, the widespread adoption of the car itself. Internal combustion is looking decidedly last century as automakers and policy makers alike take aim at tackling a climate crisis. Whatever your take on that matter might be and however chagrined you are at a new Scout going entirely electric, the new company contends the time is right to take what would, in essence, be “an eighth or ninth-generation Scout” (should IH have continued its production unabated past 1980) and mold it in the form of a forward-thinking off-roader.
Effectively, by positioning the new model as an electric SUV and truck, Scout Motors is gunning to be a front-runner in the segment, matching or even beating an all-electric Wrangler to market, and whatever ultimately happens with the next-generation Bronco. Scout Motors’ efforts is a sign that we will still have options for off-roaders beyond the gasoline or diesel engine’s zenith, as it was with the Scout and Scout II.
Will that decision ultimately work out? It depends on how well the company can win over old Scout loyalists and EV skeptics. No matter what, the product has to evoke the spirit of the old model and be even more capable without the most aggravating drawbacks of electric ownership…and that’s a tall order, for any automaker.
Check out more on my early experience in this classic Scout rally and where the new company’s heading in the posts below:
