My Scout 80

[MochaMike]

Well, I've lurked here off an on for a while.
I finally logged on the other day & thought I'd post up an Intro & my Scout build.

Lisa (my wife) bought it for me for fathers day 4 years ago for $500.
It was her cousins.* Around 1981 he traded a bone stock 80 for this one.
He got it with a low mileage SBC 350 (from a Camero), Muncie M22 (2.72:1 :() & D20.
Stock SOA D27s.* It was an unfinished swap.
He then got married, & it sat in storage for 20+ years.

This is what it looked like when I brought it home:



Here is how I got... D27s that were SOA: : coco :

[MochaMike]

Since then, I've replaced, rebuilt, or removed almost everything accept for some of the body or frame.
I've rebuilt the 350 top end, new gaskets and machine work, new exhaust, added HEI, rebuilt the carb (rochester 2B carb).
I've got an Edelbrock 600 w/offroad jets & a 4 B Edelbrock intake... But I like the way the rochester works (only stalls at extreme angles).

Dual tanks were rusted, so I added a 33 gallon fuel cell in the bed.
Aluminum radiator for cooling.
Chevy column w/gussetted steering box.

The bench seat went, along with the seat mounts.
PO glued astro-turf to the entire bed in the back. (2 days of wire-wheeling that crap out).

I replace the rusted out floor boards & part of the tranny tunnel.



Here is the sheetmetal afterwards:


Bed after it was wire wheeled:


Then I herculined the cab & bed:

[MochaMike]

Here is the cab when I got it:


I cleaned up the dash, swapped in a Chevy column (along with a new Centech wiring harness) & added some Autometer gauges:


Here they are after the I painted the dash & herculined the cab:

[MochaMike]

I bought a Cage from Joel Kelsey (Scout Dude on POR) which he had in his 80, that was just tacked together.
I added lots of crossbars, triangulation, and seat mounts.

This is 1/2 way there... Seat mounts, but no triagulation.

[MochaMike]

As for suspension & drive train:
I got Waggy D44s with 4.88s, detroit up front, spool in the rear, discs all the way around.
Came with spare front shafts & rims.
I've since picked up 2 sets of spare rears, along with 2 more rims.
Tires are 35 pro comp muds.
Also added high-steer w/HD Tierod/draglink.

Springs are 2.5" BDS YJ springs with Military wrap at both ends.

Drivetrain behind the 350 is a SM465, Novak adapter & a D18 (pin removed for 2wd low).

Here is the power steering bracket I fabbed up:

[MochaMike]

I added a front crossmember/bumper made out of 1/4" 2x8.
Also did 1/4" 2x2 on the ends.



I cut a good portion of the body out in the rear corners:


I removed the stock rear crossmember (flimsy) & welded in some 3/16" C-channel.
Rear bumper is made out of either 1/4" or 3/16" 2x4 box tube.
It wraps around protecting the rear fenders.




I cut about 4-6" out of each rear corner to allow the bumper to wrap around & protect the body.
Future plans call some 1" tube to wrap around just above the bumper to help protect the corners.



These were my first serious welding projects on the Scout.
A friend did the suspension, and another friend helped do the cage.

[MochaMike]

Last year I added a spare tire carrier.
I had a spare D44 hub flange turned down.


I then fabbed up a bracket to mount a spindle on the rear bumper.




Here is the end result:


The hinge/hub doubles as a trail spare hub.
Hi-Lift also mounts on the inside of the carrier.

Eventually I added reverse lights I got at the bargain bin at the local Ace Hardware. I also had to move the license plate.
Here it is in action summer 05 (before paint).

[MochaMike]

I did minor surgery on my Scout in April 06.
I used to have full rockers w/2x4 rocker guards underneath connecting to the frame.
I cut out about 4 inches of rockers so that the rocker guards are almost flush with the floor.
The rocker guards are no longer attached to the sides of the frame rails.
Now they are on top.* It turned out to be a bit more work than I thought it would be.
After I plasma'd the excess sheetmetal, I had to replace several chunks due to rust. (see 2nd pic... it's from the gap to about 4 inches left).
I tacked angle iron to the sheetmetal to re-enforce it.* The front fenders are bolted to the angle iron.
This weekend I tied the rockers to the A & B pillars of the cage.

Only thing left to do is tie the C pillar to the frame.





I finished it all off with some rattle can Ace Paint.* *(International Green no less...)
This was from the beginning of the summer, I have since painted the hood, windshield & tailgate...

Springs have settled a bit as well.

[MochaMike]

Here are some pix from this past summer (Fordyce Trail):







Most recent mod was a Warn 8000 that was placed behind the front bumper.

[MochaMike]

Future plans:

Back seat & extending the roll cage.....


I've got a pair of D60s sitting in my shed:
79 Ford HP
99 Ford 60U (rounded pumpkin & stock disc brakes)
Tires: 37" BFG Krawlers, 38 Swamper SXs or 39 Iroks
Also have plans for a doubler: SM465/203/D300.

[Jensers]

Woah - I whole build from start to fording a river in less than an hour!

Really cool stuff - Thanks for posting.

Looks like the 350 went in there without cutting the firewall. What did you do for a steering box? How about the radiator?

Tire carrier looks great.

[Ronnie]

Mike, thanks for posting up. I'd seen various pics of your Scout over the years but never seen the progression all in one place. It looks great! : thumbsup I added this thread to the Forum FAQ Buildups list, I'm sure seeing what you've done will help and inspire others (like me!).

Ronnie : kewl :

[MochaMike]

Thanks Ronnie.
I like your builds. Seeing them, made me post up mine.

Jenser,
I have BeCool 2 row Aluminum that I got from a race shop.
I fabbed up some brackets shown below.
PS box is a standard Jeep Wagoneer/Cj one from the JY.
I welded a plate on the inner frame raile & gusseted the crap out of it with either 3/16" or 1/4" plate.







Here are more pix from the Fordyce trip:
http://contracostajeepers.org/albums...006/index.html

[Jensers]

Hmmmm... Interesting - a 350 in a scout 80 without having to remove the crossmember or cut the firewall... Cool. Your distributor must be right up against the firewall? Will it come out without pulling the motor?

[MochaMike]

Actually, the PO did cut part of the firewall when they did the swap.
It was the inner corner where it meets the floor behind the gas pedal.
I simply patchet it.
It's a tight fit. I have to run rams horn manifolds, & the last bolt in each manifold can only be removed with a wrench not a socket.

I can remove the dizzy without pulling the motor, but I have to remove the heater/vent crossover (4 bolts).

The enging mounts via the old hot rod style of horseshow girdle that bolts to the front of the block.
Last year I had to fab up new mounts on the frame rail because the old style kept ripping apart from torque.
So I made two shackle hangers on the girdle (bushing w/bolt through it), with two plates on each side coming off the frame.

The engine sits 2-3" lower than most other 350s I've seen in 80s.
I also move the front axle forward a few inches for added wheelbase.

[Jensers]

Huh - good info... I have an 80 with a 350 in it that I am going to be hot rodding in the distant future. They actually went thru the trouble of cutting the air box and welding in a rounded section so the distributor will come out...

They chopped the firewall so bad that there isnt even room for your feet down there, and I hate it. I plan to move the motor forward and lose the factory crossmember when I put on a mustang 2 front end. Then I can fix the firewall so it is comfortable.

But maybe I need to look at it closer - maybe I can fix the firewall with some headers and not need to move the motor...

[MochaMike]

If I were to do it again, I'd cut out the front crossmember & go from there.
Much less hastle.

[guidolyons]

Nice work Mike! : thumbsup I've seen bits and pieces of your Scout on PBB, thanks for sharing on here. My build is going MUCH slower...like snail paced. I am slowly working on re-doing the floor pans and am planning on building sliders similar to yours. I'm not sure how much of the rocker I am going to cut, I need to get body mounts done first I think, then work on the sliders. I like then notch so the high lift won't slip off.

[binder man]

how does the sm465 fit in there? any cutting? I've found a few I'm looking at getting and wanted to know what mods it took...and how bout more pics of the motor and engine bay, like motor mounts and such like that?

Thanks,
Luke

[MochaMike]

It fits great, but it was a little work.
The PO cut a bit of the floor out on the PS near the tunnel.
They had rivetted aluminum plates on to cover it.
Used some sheetmetal & fabbed a new one similar to the old but larger giving more room for the TCase.

IIRC I welded up the old tranny hole & cut a new one....
I think I also had to widen the TC hole as well.
You can see it in the pix above.

You can also see my engine mount above in the pix w/o the radiator (below the alt).
The engine has an old hot rod horseshoe style bracket bolted to the front, which is tied into the frame.
I tore a few motor mounts on after my first couple of trips, so I re-designed it.
Now there are two plates comin off the frame on each side, & the engine mount has some tube with bushing going through it which has a bolt.
Similar to a shackle hanger & shackles.
Does that make sense?

[MochaMike]

Might as well update this (since it's been 8 months).

Just before I started this thread, I added a winch (9/06) into the front bumper:

[MochaMike]

In April/May (07) I added a back seat...




Still haven't gotten around to doing the rear Halo... Hopefully this winter.

[MochaMike]

In June I swapped in an Edelbrock 600CFM carb. I got it from a friend who ran it for several years on his Early Bronco with a 302. It has off-road springs to help with flooding on off camber angles... It works a bit better than the old one, but still isn't as good as fuel injection.



Also changed from a mechanical throttle linkage to cable (was scary last year when a motor mount let go & the engine torqued & engine hit 6000 RPM without my foot on the gas.... : bonk :

[MochaMike]

I bent all four springs during last year & the beginning of this (hyper-extended).

So in July/August I swapped in the new warrantied springs, added an extra 1/2 internal extra leaf in the front & an anti-wrap bar in the rear:






The old front spring hangers were a little too far back, so I welded some new ones in... I think I moved them a bit too far forward.... It now rubs on the front fender & has created a nasty case of death wobble...
However, my approach angle is now awesome...

[MochaMike]

Here are some pix on the Rubicon (7/07) before I changed the springs....











Bob's Killer Flatty:


This is Matt & Erin's TJ on Volvo Portals.... It's a pretty sweet set up. There is a write up on him & his jeep in the latest issue of Crawl Magazine (Sept/Oct 07).




More pix here:
http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j9.../Rubicon60207/