International Scout II
Production: April 1971 – 1980
Assembly: Fort Wayne, IN
In many ways, the extra-long gestation of the Scout II™ model was a benefit. It gave the overworked and understaffed Scout Division more time to get things right. After a short run of preproduction units, the Scout II model debuted to the press in Chandler, Arizona, on April 20-23, 1971, with regular production starting on April 19, 1971. While small numbers of Scout II vehicles arrived at dealers as showroom eye candy, sales numbers didn’t ramp up until the summer when production caught up. Old inventory also needed to be liquidated and the “Wow Wagon” campaign fully implemented.
The Scout II model was almost as big a jump for IH as the original Scout model in 1961. The dated “Frigidaire” styling was obviously gone, but the new beauty was more than skin-deep. The Scout II model debuted with a powertrain lineup that started with the 196 ci four, stepped up to the powerful 232 ci six, a 304 ci V8, and finally, a big 345 ci V8 that beat Ford and tied GM for maximum cubic inches in the 4×4 SUV realm. Power steering, air conditioning, vastly improved ride quality, sound deadening, on top of a broadened array of styling, comfort and convenience options, put the Scout II model right back in the top tier of the growing SUV market. The utility side was not forgotten, and, yes, you could still buy a bare-bones Scout vehicle.
The Scout chassis consisted of a heavy-gauge, fully boxed chassis that measured 4×3 inches and was made up of 0.120-inch steel with three welded crossmembers. The springs were 56 inches in the rear and 43 inches up front, improving ride quality and higher load capacities. The 4×4 and 4×2 chassis were identical other than the location of the transmission cross-member.
Scout II vehicle sales were nearly everything IH hoped for. A wide range of updates came in the ’72-75 timeframe, including an increasing emphasis on appliques, the IH term for what many now call body graphics. Power disc brakes were introduced for 1974, and powertrain updates kept the Scout vehicle line generally even with the competition. Behind the scenes, things were not so rosy with the parent company, IH.
By the mid-1970s, hard financial times for the country, the fuel crisis, strategic missteps and changing markets had left IH in a pickle. For over 60 years, motor vehicle manufacturing had largely been the icing for an all-things-to-all-farmers company. While the IH medium and heavy truck business was still hopping, the light truck business fell flat. IH made the decision to discontinue light trucks after an abbreviated 1975 model year. The Scout vehicle line was in the crosshairs during this time. Still, some previously planned alterations and updates were seen as a way to keep some of that light truck business and more cost-effectively keep the Scout vehicles in production.
1973 Scout II Cabtop in Ceylon Green two-tone paint. It has the standard interior and exterior with few options beyond a 304 V8, dual exhaust, automatic transmission, rear limited slip differential and 3.73:1 axle gear ratios. Note that in the Scout II era, “Cab-Top” had been simplified to “Cabtop” and Travel-Top” to “Traveltop.” The white stripe is not factory original and reportedly installed by the dealer.
The 1976 model year brought many updates to the Scout model lineup. Two new long-wheelbase models emerged to partly fill the gaps the departed IH light trucks left. It was an easy engineering job to stretch the Scout vehicle’s 100-inch wheelbase to 118 inches. From there, a base platform could be built out as the Traveler SUV or the Terra pickup by using a removable bulkhead and two types of fiberglass tops. The Traveler basically replaced the Travelall, the light line’s long-running people mover. IH didn’t have the development resources to make Traveler a four-door as the Travelall had been, but it was plenty roomy and had space for three-row seating. The Terra half-ton pickup supplanted the Cabtop Scout II model and offered a six-foot bed. With a 6,200-pound chassis GVRW, it was solidly in the popular half-ton range.
Also introduced for 1976 was the first optional diesel for an American-built SUV. Fuel shortages and high fuel prices had thrown the U.S. auto industry into a tailspin. By government edict and customer demand, the U.S. auto industry had to end the gas-guzzling era in pursuit of increased fuel economy. One of the short-term solutions was the diesel engine, by nature about 30 percent more fuel efficient than an equivalent-displacement gasoline engine. With a small 3.3L diesel added as an option, the Scout model lineup went from 15 mpg with a gasoline four into 20-plus mpg territory with a six-cylinder diesel. Accompanied by weight savings and other improvements, Scout models clawed their way into meeting the new CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards set by the U.S. government. Meeting those standards would always be a problem for IH because, unlike most of its competitors, the Scout model lineup was hampered by an all-truck and SUV lineup. IH offered no cars, especially compact cars, to help raise CAFE fuel standards.
International Harvester celebrated the United States Bicentennial with several special models, including the Spirit of ’76. It was the first production Scout II to roll off the line with a soft top. It came well equipped for the trail with the first iteration of a big tire package, which consisted of 8×15-inch chrome styled wheels with big 10-15 Goodyear Tracker tires. Under the faux Denim soft top was a roll bar and the interior was in Wedgewood Blue. Winter White with the red and blue accents was the only exterior decor choice. All the standard powertrain options were available.
The following year delivered more Scout whizbangness! Many will know or remember the 1970s as the decade of the van conversion. It was the era of shag carpets, bright colors and far-outness. The Scout vehicle lineup got in on that action, and IH enhanced the 1977 Scout model line by teaming up with Midas Industries to make a series of groovy, upfitted Scout vehicles. Midas, probably best known these days for mufflers and a national chain of auto repair shops, also did van conversions and built RVs in an Elkhart, Indiana, factory. The results were an astounding update to the comfort of the Scout vehicles and the hip status of those driving them. The Midas option proved popular and carried on to the end of Scout vehicle production.
Another milestone for 1977 was the SSII™ model. The late ’60s brought desert racing to the American motorsports consciousness. As with other forms of motorsports, the auto industry soon realized the advertising benefits. The conservative IH was slow to respond, but after a privately entered 1972 Scout II Cabtop won its class in the ’72 Baja 1000, interest was piqued at Fort Wayne. It was still an uphill struggle to convince upper-level execs to sign on. Still, by late in ’76, race teams were contracted to run Scout vehicles in desert racing, and the sporty, Jeep-beating 1977 SSII (for Super Scout™ II) model came along to bolster the trail-capable image. Lean, mean, topless, doorless, and ready to hit the trail, the SSII line became the poster child for the Scout vehicle race teams. While the ’77-79 SSII model was not a big seller, its desert racing connection was a bonanza of mainstream publicity for the Scout vehicle lineup. On top of that, the race Scout vehicles were always in the points and took home a good number of class wins.
The Rallye was probably the superstar of Scout II packages and certainly a best seller. It had just the right combination of price, style and functionality. From ’76-79, it included the Rallye applique, the chrome slotted wheels, most commonly known as Rallye Wheels, heavy-duty shock absorbers and power steering. Any power train and interior trim option was possible, though most Rallye Scouts are seen at the higher end of the options food chain. The Rallye applique changed over the years and for 1980, the functional parts, such as the wheels and shocks, became separate options. Shown is Tom Thayer’s ’77 Rallye clone, with all the correct outside pieces.
The Scout II model remained in contention from ’78 through most of ’79 as the SUV market grew by leaps and bounds. In that time, IH had broadened the scope of their graphics packages, lined up another upfitter, Custom Vehicles Incorporated, to build even more stylish special models, and tuned accouterments to reflect the times. IH brought in new mainstream auto marketing professionals and made great inroads to get more Scout vehicles onto Main Street where the general public could see them. IH continued to make concrete plans to move the Scout brand even farther up the curve and there was a lot of optimism in the Scout Division. Dampening all that was IH’s financial trouble, which had expanded into a crisis and, once again, the Scout model lineup had moved into the target area of “not being the core business.”
The 1980 model year was projected to be big, with many upgrades. On the appearance front, a few simple styling changes gave the Scout vehicles a more modern look and the planned updates for ’81-84 were expected going to transform the brand. New, more fuel-efficient, and cleaner running engines were on the horizon. A new platform was in development, and by 1985, the Scout vehicles were destined for a total transformation. Alas, beyond the changes for 1980, none of that would happen.
With 1980 just a month away, financially ailing IH and the United Auto Workers Union initiated a game of “chicken” to negotiate a better contract for the respective side and, for IH, to eliminate red ink. Neither side blinked or swerved, and negotiations dragged on for months. During this period, IH made an internal decision to sell the Scout Division, if possible, or shut it down, if not. While a potential buyer made a lot of noise, a deal never came very close, and Scout vehicle production stopped on October 21, 1980, never to resume.
The last scout rolled off the production line on October 21, 1980. It was originally ordered for IH board of directors member, Mary Garst.
