At $20,000, Could This 1961 International Scout 80 Prove to be a Simple Pleasure?
The seller of today’s Nice Price or No Dice Scout has completed its restoration and wants it gone to make way for the next Scout project. Let’s see if its price is just as restorative.
Attrition can be a great equalizer, turning what was once common and mundane into an object of interest. That’s just what has happened with the 1978 Ford LTD II we looked at yesterday. That was probably the best-looking, all-original LTD II left on the planet, a fact that made its mere existence notable. Being interesting, however, doesn’t always equate to being desirable—just ask anyone who has ever visited the Mütter Museum. That discordance appeared to be the unfortunate state of affairs for the LTD II as well, seeing as the car’s $15,000 asking price came up short in our voting with an 82 percent No Dice loss.
Of course, there are a number of old cars and trucks that aren’t around all that much anymore that definitely are desirable. I think we can count among those this 1961 International Harvester Scout 80. In fact, and in an odd happenstance, the Scout name is so revered that Volkswagen is planning on bringing it back as some sort of retro-styled electric SUV. This one, though, is the OG.
Considering its descriptive name, it’s no surprise that Fort Wayne, Indiana-based International Harvester made its fame building agricultural equipment. The company also made both heavy and light-duty trucks targeting commercial and farm buyers. In 1960, IH introduced another vehicle aimed at the farming community, a small 4X4 that the company intended would tap into the same market as Willys’ Civilian Jeep.
Like the CJ, the original Scout 80 was a simple, no-frills truck that could be used on the farm or on the road. According to the ad, this one has been fully restored with new upholstery, powder-coated wheels, refreshed brakes, and new wiring. It features the Travel-Top full cabin cap and the slider windows for the doors—the Scout being too simple to even rate wind-up windows.
The seller claims it will be a great summer roadster when the weather warms up, a nod to the fact that another luxury denied the Scout was any form of insulation.
That means passengers will get to enjoy the sounds coming from the engine and transmission unimpeded. That engine, by the way, is a 152 cubic-inch displacement slant four which is notable for actually being one-half of the company’s 304 CID V8, with lots of parts shared between them.
In the Scout, that makes 93 (gross) horsepower, which is channeled through a three-speed manual gearbox shifted via a lever on the floor. There are two more levers next to that, both for the two-speed Dana 18 transfer case.
Other than those novelties, the cabin is extremely spartan. There’s only one bench seat in here, and in fact, the Scout’s design impedes the addition of a rear seat due to the half-height structural panel behind the bench.
Per the ad, the truck sports 59,000 miles on the clock and is registered, insured, and fully drivable. The seller rightfully notes that it would be difficult to find another in such nice condition as this. Does that, however, make it worth its $20,000 asking?
That’s what’s written on the price tag, with the seller claiming that another Scout project (a ’66 Sport Top) is waiting in the wings for this truck’s departure. What do you all say, is this Scout worth that $20K price as it sits? Or, does that price make this less than a good Scout?
You decide!
San Francisco Bay Area, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!
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