My $200 Scout II Build-Up

[Scouty]

I picked-up this 75 Scout II, 345, 727, D20, 44's, and solid body for $200. I plan to make this my trail rig. Looking for some chevy full-width axles to put under it and have Jeff do a RS on it. Also hoping to get Jeff to fab up a cage and some sliders. Here is the ugly bastard.

[ihochad]

Your lucky you beat Jeff and I to that. That was going to be my paper work.












Now get to work on it, not much time before the Rubicon

[Scouty]

I'm sure this Scout will make Jeff more money now that it's mine than if he picked it up.

[ihochad]

Originally Posted by Scouty

I'm sure this Scout will make Jeff more money now that it's mine than if he picked it up.

Yeah you certianly don't hear him bitching do ya. I'm just bitter, I need to find some very cheap pre 76 paper work and vin plate.

[Scouty]

I've decided to remove the body so I have easier access to the frame and drive-train. The Scout currently has a torquflight 727 and a dana 20 transfer case, the P.O. wasn't sure if the tranny or the transfer case were shot, but he had to put the transfer case in neutral to get the thing to roll. I have a spare 727 that came out of a Scout with 75,000 miles on it and a dana 20 that was rebuilt just before I replaced it with the 300 in my Yellow Scout. The P.O. said the motor was rebuilt but that it needed a new carb. I plan to swap a 4 barrel intake I have on it and use the 500 cfm edelbrock carb I have lying around. I also want to clean-up the frame and have Jeff do a reverse shackle on it, so having the body off will make all this crap easier.

So now my question, what is the best way to remove the body? I've got the top off, doors removed, hood off, interior gutted, grill and radiator removed, and steering disconnected. Some of the bodymount bolts look like I might have to cut them off. What as far as electrical and firewall connections need to be disconnected? Is the fuel tank connected to the body or the frame? Should the filler hose be disconnected at the tank? What about sending unit wiring? What else have I overlooked.

I appreciate any info you can provide.

[ihochad]

The fenders and inner fender wells all need to be pulled off. The body bolts should not need to be cut but will probably require some tourqe to ge them off. You will need to pull the filler hose and there is probably some going to the charcoal canister. You will need to pull the wiring harness at the firewall at least. Also you have to unbolt the fuel tank as the J bolts in the back are attached to the body. You need to pull the brake lines and or remove the M/C and booster. The ebrake cable has to go also. Easiest thing to do is remove it from the pedal and feed it back through the body. Also need to take the tunnel cover off and undo the shift cable from the shifter, I find it easiest to pull the tunnel cover all the way off, it gives you a little more room to clear the T-case shifter. There are a few pictures of the tear down process on my build thread on the BB. There are lots of little hoses and wire connections that you need to take care of as they come up. Just take it slow and easy. I use a cherry picker and lift up the front and support it with a a- frame that I build. Then go to the rear and lift it. After the body is clear, I just roll the frame right out from under it.

[Scouty]

Thanks Chad, I appreciate you taking the time to provide me with all the info. After I read your post I almost decided to forget about removing the body and just deal with the rig the way it is. But after thinking about it some more I decided removing the body was the best way to go.

I started today by removing the outer front fenders, the doors, the top, and the hood. I also removed the tunnel cover and disconnected the shifter cable, got the brake lines disconnected as well. Tomorrow I will remove the inner fenders. The Scout has AC, the system is all intact, what is the best way to remove it all, since some of the lines run through the front part of the inner fender?

As I started removing things I was really happy with the condition of the body. The rust was minimal. The only shitty part was that at some point a P.O. cut two holes in the bed wall right over the wheel well . They also must have had a second battery in the bed as well and it leaked some battery acid. Other than that the structure of the body is pretty good for a 30 year old truck. I hope the frame and motor are in as good a condition.

More to come.

[ihochad]

Close off the valves on the A/C compressor and then break the lines free. You will still lose any freon that is in the condesnsor and lines but thats it. Plus it keeps the oil in the compressor, this helps prevent the seals from drying out while it sits unused. Other than that just take your time and try to orginaize and label things as you go.

[Scouty]

Progress has slowed a bit, but I did manage to get the front fenders and inner fenders removed, along with the AC. The interior is all striped and sanded down. I'm thinking of just spraying the interior with some cheap spray can bedliner. The electrical is pretty hack , I think I'm going to pull it all out and purchase one of Jeff's wiring kits.

Picked-up a 14 bolt and 44 out of a 76 chevy 3/4 pick-up, damn these bastards are heavy . Still waiting for K5 to hook me up with another front 44 with flat-top knuckles.

Here are some pics of the progress. Damn my garage is getting stuffed.

[Scouty]

This project is going to take awhile. This is what I'm hoping for.

Rebuilt fuel injected 392 (gonna need some help from RockTractor) Stan's headers, dual magna flows
Complete rewire
Reverse shackle
Full width axles (5:38s) powerlock front/spool rear
Jeff's ubolt kit
2" bodylift
Stock springs
New brake booster, master cylinder and brake lines
727 transmission and dana 20 transfer case
Hi-steer, rebuilt steering box (ram assist), and steer straight
Full roll-cage
Rock sliders
Tube bumpers
38" Swampers

[Craig]

Did you get the title yet?

[Scouty]

Yep, cost me $30.

[Erik Socha]

It looks like you will have your hands full with this project.

I'm just trying to get my Scout to look like your yellow Scout. That thing is NICE!!!!

[Rock Tractor]

You want it to look like this

[Scouty]

Originally Posted by Rock Tractor

You want it to look like this

I like it better in this pic