Hot Rods Dare to be different - 63 Scout

I just found this, awesome story and good on your brother.

 

Well when the wiring is done might as well put in the big block, & get that out of the way, someone might want a SB Cheby round here.

Looks like a nice Build I am considering a 429 69 Bronco 1/2 cab.

 

The Small Block is in because it's what I have. To be honest the thought of putting a BBC in it has crossed my mind more than a few times. Ultimately I would love to put a hemi back in it but the price on a decent 426 build / crate are completely outrageous. There's even a vague thought of building a Blown 500 based cadillac for it. Big cubes, stupid torque, really good Hp in a package that will wiegh less a SBC. Now that would really be different.

Let me know when the Bronco is done and we'll set up a match race at one of the HAMB drag weekends. Wouldn't that be cool !!

 

Wheelie bars are soooo cool.

 

Fuses are your friend. They help prevent the smoke from escaping the wire. Me learn hard way too.

 

That thing is so cool. I think you got it right when you decided to get her going again.

 

Maybe by the time the small block is ready for a redo someone will have made you a blower manifold for an IH 392

 

The thrash is on to get the scout to the track for the weekend.

The last big task to get done was the fabrication and installation of the windows. To start, we ordered in a Competition Engineering kit. It comes with a hockey sock full of tabs, bolts and lock nuts as well as the required tubing and a crude but effective tubing bender.

After we bolted on the roof I added some Home Depot 1/2 inch weather stripping along the window jambs for the windows to seal against. We measured it all up, bent the tubing and then welded on the tabs. Pretty simple to this point and i have to say my fabrication and welding skills are getting better. They still suck by most of your standards but still... getting better.

To mount the window frame we filled in the top of the door jamb. It was a ton of welding and grinding but in my opinion it was the best way to mount the frames. This had the added benefit of stiffening up the door substantially. Another bonus is sealing the doors from the elements. Prior to the build I pulled 30 years of the great outdoors out of the bottom of the doors. Including at least 2 generations of critters.

The doors never had a window frame to start so there are no recesses for the bottom of the window to drop into. So after filling the top of the door, we added a strip of 10 gauge metal along the bottom for the windows to bolt on to.

We ordered in a sheet of 1/8 inch Lexan and using a template we made from the packing material, cut out the side and back windows. A little drilling and lot of bolts later we had a slick set of Lexan windows mounted and ready to go. Lexan scratches just by looking at it so I took a picture while they are still clear. It might be the only time they are like that.

On Monday we drove the truck off of the drive-on hoist. This was a fairly momentus occassion as it is the first time this thing has moved under it's own power since the build and likely the first time in 25+ years.

In between window build sessions we started to dry test the truck in the parking lot. The first time we did it we did a couple of slow laps but the brakes didn't feel good at all. Then the transmission puked fluid out of the convertor seal - big time. We got the truck back on a hoist and I pulled the transmission. It turns out the convertor bearing walked and took the seal with it. A quick fix was made and the transmission reinstalled. The second drive session the brakes still felt like crap. Right at the end of the session I stepped hard on the brakes to see if that made a difference and the rod from the brake pedal to the master cylinder folded like a cheap suit. It turns out, one of the shop guys fabricated me some brake lights and the bracket he welded onto the brake pedal to trip the switch was hitting the rod. This gave a false sence of firmness while at the same time preventing the brakes from fully engaging and putting lateral force on the rod. Luckily the rod could be fixed and once I cut out the offending bracket the brakes worked great. So much so that I'll need to add a proportioning valve so I can adjust the brakes. Right now the truck really wants to lock up the fronts. Not something I want to happen at 120 mph.

When I tried to test the line Loc I quickly found out the brand new Line Loc was faulty (no click as the solenoid engaged) so we replaced it. In fairness the Line Loc we had in it was a showy Pro Street unit. The new one is a Biondo racing unit. Less flashy but far more robust. After the swap the Line Loc worked great but the truck was pushing the front wheels with ease so smoking in the parking lot was out of the question. (probably a good thing) This is actually a good sign as it means it's got some serious traction even in a dusty paved parking lot full of loose gravel.

At this point I'm actually pretty positive about what's happening. I would rather have these issues and failures in the lot 100 ft from the shop instead of at the track. The last thing i want to do is oil down the track, not to mention looking like an idiot in front of a few dozen people. Actually i'm used to looking like an idiot in public but I would rather it not be at the track with a broken race car.

Once the windows were finished we took it out again. This time everything worked well. We noticed the truck was leaning to the passenger side so we made a few preload adjustments to the suspension which leveled out the stance and then we called it a night. Tomorrow I get to weld in the driver side bar and finish installing the window net. Then I'm going to load it all up cuz folks, it's ready for some shakedown passes. Ugly as hell, but ready.

I have to tell you that the truck looks mean and out of scale. Almost comical. At the back there are these big slicks (31x13.5) with a monster Dana 60 in full view. Up front is this short front end and skinny little front runners. It looks really back heavy. You really don't realize just how small the whole package is until you see it driving. The driver simply looks too big or the truck too small in a goofy zinger sort of way. It sits low and level even with the straight axle. I could not be happier with the stance.

Stop drooling guys, I'm saving the pictures of the truck running around in the daylight for the track

 

prob the coolest idea i have seen in a while... post more pictures i love it

 

wow I can't believe this thing is still alive. My dad used to take me to Keystone and Bison dragway when I was a kid. I even had the original magazine article of the Elephant Hunter. This does bring back memories. Glad to see it's racing again. My dad had a 3 window Dodge coupe with a hemi at the same time. Bought all the parts at a place called Ray's auto wrecking. Man those were the days.

 

The Scout is Out !!

It's return to the strip for the first time in over 30 years was a resounding success.
More than I could have hoped. But it wasn't without some drama

The Pelissier Family / Pro Gear racing operation loaded up and headed out to the last racing weekend of the year at Gimli Dragway. This included my Scout, my brother's 11 second Ranger truck and my Niece with her 7.90 jr. Dragster. I had a half dozen friends in tow to see the Scout make its first passes.

Saturday it passed tech fairly easy but there was some question about the legality of the chromed front axle but they let me run anyway. The tech guys were really happy with the attention to detail and that I had more SFI stuff than I really needed. This went a long way towards letting me run.

Warming up in the pits:



The first 2 passes were very soft and timid as I had no idea how the truck would drive at speed. There were no issues and I was actually surprised how well it tracked. I hot lapped it and idled in the staging lanes at least 5 minutes between passes. The temp locked in at 150 and stayed there. The next few passes would be progressively harder depending on how it reacted and how much testicular fortitude I had. I avoided the temptation to hook up the trans brake. I knew if it was there I would use it. Probably with disastrous results.

Pass #3:
I foot braked it hard, dragging the front wheels through the lights. I stayed in it to the 8th, coasted a bit then got back on it through the traps. The truck went 11.83 @102 mph (1.64 60 ft).

What got my attention was the serious death wobble when I let off the gas. It was serious enough to almost sprain my wrists. (Holy Crap !!) Even worse was the temp spiking at 220 (Double Holy Crap!!!)

I could fix the death wobble but the electric water pump had gacked and threatened to end my day at 11am. I sent a message to the pits through the tower but no-one on site could help out.

I have to say that within 10 minutes of the announcement there were guys at the trailer on their cell phone searching for a water pump for me and there was a pile of ideas about mechanical pumps, spacers, belts, remote drives and pulleys being thrown around in an attempt to get me a working set up. It was heartwarming to see the response... but it was all in vain...

At the same time I made an adjustment to reduce the tow-in on the front end.

At 3:00 I decided to make a 4th pass with a friend golf carting me to the line and picking me up at the far end.

Pass #4:
My brother is in the other lane with his Ranger. 1 hour earlier he had just made a 11.68 pass to take the Pelissier family fast time title away from me and my previous (boring) Vega.

Once again I foot brake and got a good launch but did not push the front out of the lights. I lifted the left front about 2 inches and carried it past the tree. I stay in it and somehow manage to hammer the rev limiter on both shifts and run an 11.63 @ 112 (1.55 60 ft)

I'm happy to discover that the death wobble has disappeared but the best part of it all is that the 11.63 gets me the Family - Fast Time - title back.

My extraordinary ability to screw up the shifts in an automatic has me baffled. It's as if I simply forget to shift and when I do I am tentatively trying to put it in gear rather than pulling hard on the shifter. You can hear me on the limiter in the video.

The temp at the end of the run is once again 220. Without a water pump I'm done for the weekend. Saturday night I find a water pump on Kijiji and make a new friend in the seller. (I have a thread on this elsewhere).

11.63 pass: (My Brother Paul is in the other lane)



Take note of the track announcer in the video. That's Rich Bedford, the 2nd owner of the Scout back in the 70's having purchased it from the original builder Jim Pratt. He had a lot of cool things to say about it all weekend. Too bad I was in the truck each time and heard none of it.

Tow back to the pits: (Thanks larry)



Sunday:

With no guarantee that I will run this day, I have lost my supporting fans. As a result I have limited video and pictures from this day. (Huge regret as you will see) There's a big headwind that is gusting to the side from time to time

The new water pump is a Moroso unit and Sunday morning I find that the CSR hose adapter will not fit. I'm a spectator until noon when the hardware store opens in town. In the meantime I chase a lingering tranny leak and make an adjustment to fix a rubbing tire.

At noon I find the $2 part in about 5 minutes and pull back into the track to find 2 guys waiting to help. As it turns out the pump works but leaks badly. We have it in and out twice before we get it fixed with copious quantities of Form-a-gasket. I also spot an unplugged vacuum source and quickly put a cap on it. The engine immediately sounds better. I pull into tech 5 minutes before the shut down for the season.

I find out later the Tech guys were watching the thrash and were waiting for me. (Wow). Same story with the staging lane guys. They saw me in tech and they waited to close the lanes prior to the scheduled eliminations to let me get a pass in.

Pass #5
Foot brake, great launch. I short shift the 1-2 and slam it hard for the 2-3. I stay off the chip but I get out of it at about the 1200 ft mark as the wind buffets me a bit. The little monster responds with a 11.31 @111 (1.52 60 ft !!!) This in conditions where everyone was at least 2 tenths slower than the day before. I'm stoked with the possibility of a 10 second et but I'll have to wait for eliminations to make the next pass.

Pass #6 - The 1st Big Wheelstand !!
I forget to clear out the motor and it bogs off the line - then catches - and hangs the front end 3 feet in the air for about 50 ft. (Holy Crap !!) With the bog screwing up the run I shut it down after I pull the second shift.

The truck went up flat and hammered the wheelie bars hard. It tracked straight and came down with absolutely no issues and straight as an arrow. It was almost boring (Almost )

The really bad part of all of this is that no one caught the wheelstand on video.

On the way back I got a standing ovation from the dozen or so fans in the stands. Back at the pits my friends and family are whooping it up. It felt good. I simply cannot wait to hook up the transbrake next season. With an 11.31 and a big wheel stand in the books and with my brother still competing and my niece running Junior Dragster... I decide to call it a weekend, relax and help the rest of the family.

In the end I never made a full pass, I never hit the shift points when I should and the truck still went faster than I thought it might. I'm convinced there is a 10 second ET in this mild engine set up. The truck steered and stopped well (once I solved the death wobble). It launched great and I never touched the set up other than to fix the rubbing. It drove like it was on rails. Overall the weekend was a huge success. The truck got tons of attention and there was always 3-5 folks gathered around it.

For now the truck is going back in it's corner. This winter I plan to pull the front axle and get it de-chromed, magnafluxed and powder coated. I am also considering dropping in the roller cam and a bigger carb (1050 Dominator) but to be honest I want to see what the current set up can do with a trans brake. I will also tackle a few design flaws like adding charging posts and dealing with the driver's door jamming into the roll cage padding and window net. I'll clean up the body somewhat but for now I'm pretty happy with the ugly duckling look and i still have stuff to do that might take a chunk out of a new paint job. But I am determined to have the cage painted and the exposed metal at least primered.

I'll add more pictures and hopefully video from the weekend. I'm trying to track down some pictures of the wheel stand.

Thanks for following the build. I'll add more as things progress but I will likely pick it with some frequency again in the spring as the new season comes into view.

Cheers

 

Sounds like you have ten second truck for sure. It sounds great and I hope the wheelie pictures show up.

 

Man! Very Cool!

This story keeps getting better and better!

Sam

 

This past weekend there were at least 3-5 folks hanging around the Scout at any given time. There were the young guys who were wondering what it was, one of whom was convinced it was not an International Scout. There were the racers who were coming to check it out. Then there were the guys who remembered it from back in the day at Keystone / Bison.

If I hadn't been thrashing all weekend on the stupid water pump and new car bugs I would have sat these guys down and interviewed them for their stories. There were more than a few good memories of the Scout running without a roof or a hood and getting out of shape every second pass. I found it interesting that not one of them had a negative comment about my version of the build or the fact it didn't have a Hemi. I was very flattered as they looked in, under and all around and nodded in approval. One older guy came over to shake my hand and thanked me for bring back the old way of doing things.

Back in the day at Keystone / Bison: Circa 1973 (ish)

 

My 14 year old niece was taking pictures and video of the Scout's debut. She spent some time putting it all together as a music montage. I think it's really cool she would do that for her old uncle. Good music choice as well.

The pass against the grey Buick is the 11.31 pass from Sunday after we thrashed to put in the water pump and found the vacuum leak.

I especially appreciate the fact there's a good shot of my Brother Paul. He's the guy who looks like me standing in the door as I review a time slip. He's been a big part of this project and I could never have done it without him.

Enjoy

 

My best friend growing up had a Scout just sitting in his driveway that I always thought was cool as hell.
Your's certainly looks like it'll be a lot cooler. Keep us updated.

 

Cool video and great music choice! Too bad you couldn't get it dialed in this year. Oh well, you got all winter to tinker with it.

 

just for fun........

 

badd ass !! Congrats

 

Just got back from the year end banquet for the Drag Racers Association of Manitoba where I had the chance to talk with Rich Bedford. He's the Scout's second owner and really the guy who raced it the most. He's also the guy in the video doing the announcing at the track. I took the time to thank him for the kind comments.

He relates a story from back in 1974(ish) when he was at Saskatoon International Raceway with the Scout. He was in the staging lanes when Terry Capp (Wheeler Dealer top fuel) and Gary Beck (Export A top fuel) walked over and gave the Hemi Scout a once over. When they were done they both looked over at Rich and told him he was insane. This was from 2 guys running Nitro hemi's. Ultimately Rich made a connection with Terry Capp and got some of his disgarded Hemi parts for the next few years.

Rich was saying at the time he was still street driving the Scout and running low 11's. Later, he moved to BC and raced at the old Mission raceway. By then he had the convertor matched to the rest of the drivetrain and was running high 10's. His best was a 10.48 on a cool evening pass. This was with a .30 over 426 with only a Racer Brown cam, some valve train upgrades and warmed over carbs. He also mentioned that he never liked the name "Elephant Hunter" and never referred to it as such. It was always the "Hemi Scout".

You have to have seen the truck in it's 70's configuration to understand how insane running mid 10's in it really is. No traction aids, monster leaf springs, old school slicks, straight axle and no roof... NUTS !!!

My latest update is a bit OT but what the hey... I was looking to get my carb hot rodded to see if I can get a handle on the bog I experienced off the line. After some research I realized this was going to run me about $450 and in the end I would have a performance carb modifed for racing and I was still facing some lengthy dial in and rejetting time. A friend of mine directed me to to Pat @ Pro Systems Racing carbs. After 2 conversations I sent him my engine stats and he's putting together a purpose built 4150 carb for me for $670. He's telling me it could be worth 15 - 20 hp overalll and better top end performance than my modified 850. Unfortunately it will have to wait a few months to verify this unless I put the Scout on a chassis dyno over the winter.

 

This is some of the things that I miss from racing, the comraderie and the willingness to help someone out. Cheers to everyone who helped out, and I cant wait to get home so I can watch the video clips, I have been lurking on this thread for a while, waiting for them!

 

This is my official "Thank you" post to everyone, to date, who helped get the Scout running again.

Paul Pelissier - My Brother and owner of Pro-Gear Performance Drivetrains. Without his help and use of his facilites this project would never have gotten started. He is certainly my biggest supporter and the primary sponsor for the project. (Well actually my wife is the primary sponsor... Thanks hon) Let's not forget to thank him for just being my Big Brother and doing what a big brother should do. Looking out for his little brother when he's being a dumb-ass. I`ve taken up a lot of space at his shop for a long time. Thanks.

Larry Arnold - Always willing to give direction and advice and from time to time pick up a wrench (lol). But what I appreciate the most is that everytime he comes in I learn something. His help at the track was very much appreciated

Bernie Martens - Never afraid to roll up his sleeve and pitch in. At times was the voice of reason when things started to go off plan. Might just be the biggest fan of the project and the second most excited guy (Behind me) Now if we can just get him to buy lunch...

Jeremy - Welding and metal work. His talent to stick 2 pieces of metal together helped me build a race car that goes straight and feels safe. Let's not forget the value of having someone bigger than average bear when you need to move things.

Scott Brown - General mechanics. His efforts with the wiring and other items towards the end of the summer was one of biggest reasons that I got to the track at all in 2010. He`s also my primary tuner for horsepower and suspension.

Adam Tankard- General mechanics. Yah he works for my brother`s shop but he contributed when he could and still does. His efforts are very much appreciated. He`s also one of the biggest fans of this project.

Pete Boslovitch - I always appreciated talking to Pete. His knowledge and experience with what works and what doesn't was a huge value towards defining the plan and direction of the project. I guess you don't win a couple of Wallys in K/SA without knowing a thing or three - Hang in there Pete - My prayers are with you.

Paul Gagnon - Welding and general mechanics - Paul was an early contributor and the guy thrashing on the water pump with me at the track. A truly talented guy.

The biggest thanks has to go to my wife, Lori-Ann. First for not asking how much this madness is costing, putting up with the project and with me being gone for many evenings and almost every weekend. Honey, you`re the best and I know you said it was cool, but I also know you still think it's ugly.

Not done yet kids, there is a LOT more to do and a lot more potential to uncover, but I was feeling sociable and since a few of these guys read this thread I thought I would say thanks

 

I LOVE this thing! I just found a 60s scout 80 for 300 bucks. Needs some qtr work and a big dent in the pass. door popped out but other than that its very solid. I want to pick it up and drop a 413 wedge in it hooked to either a a833 4speed or a torqueflite. The elephant hunter has lit the fire under my ass for sure! Look for pics to come soon!

 

Get on it son...

Wouldn't it be cool to square up at the H.A.M.B. drags for a little match bashing ??
I'm thinking an all farm equipment class.

 

Oh hell yeah!

 

Here it is.

 

1st impression is the truck looks really good. Far better than how I found what was left of the Elephant Hunter. If you start hacking it up all the Binder purists will have a huge hate on for you. Do it anyway !! There's actually a pretty good market for vintage Scout 80 parts. All depends on what the plan is

So... What is the plan ??
Gasser style
Hot Rod 4x4
2wd Street & Strip...

I've got a pretty good image of a cross ram 413 all decked out in orange valve covers and all the right stickers. Hang a 4 speed behind it and a big ol Dana 60 or Pontiac diff out back with 4ft ladder / lift bars. (I guess you can see where my thoughts are heading...)

 

Yeah thats the shot of the good side. The passenger rear quarter and door need help but I have a parts tub at my disposle. Also a half cab top. Im going to build it in a mid 60's style. Im not sure on whether to run a RB or a B motor. Ive been toying with the idea of a twin turbo 383 or a 400. Mopar of course. I have a couple of holsets off of dodge cummins motors. As far as the rear axle ill probly end up running a 8 3/4 as I already have one in the works with a spool and 3.55s. Unless i dont go the turbo route then they will be switched to 4.10s or 4.56s. I want to paint it a dark moss green metallic with lots of flake and a white top. Will have silver or gold leaf lettering on the side. Unsure of what to call it yet though. Rolling stock will consist of 15x3.5 cragars and super cusions up front and 15x8 with m&h dot slicks in the rear. For the front axle I might go with the speedway kit as it looks to be a good setup. Thats the plan so far. Things could change but not to much. i cant wait to start workin on this!

 

Check out the next Gasser Style project... An all steel 49 Prefect !!

My brother is bored with his not HAMB friendly 11 second Ranger pu and there are plans to give it to his daughter once she is too old for Junior Dragster (2 years). So he was looking for something along the same lines as the Scout. Different, cool, nostalgic and in the Gasser / Altered style. We saw an add for a rusted out hacked up 48 Prefect which got us thinking along those lines. Then this little gem of a 49 Prefect came along.

The owner is a serious car guy with a farm load of vintage tin and a wife who drives a restored 58 vette. We had to hike through a 100 yards of knee deep snow to get to it and then dig it out just so we could see it, but it was worth it.

The car is in bad enough shape that we won't feel guilty about hacking it. But the sheet metal is in great shape and with the exception of the cracked windshield, all the glass is there. The wood floorboards are rotted away and the fronts seats and roof insert are long gone. The back seat will get tossed but it's pretty much become a condo for mice anyway.The body is solid with a couple of minor dents and only surface rust. All the doors and corners are solid and there are no rust issues in the door posts which is rare for these cars. The trim is all there including a slightly damaged grill and the super cool little hood ornament.

So the plan is to throw in a 12 point cage and a 9 inch rear with ladder bars / coil overs. We'll hang the rubber out the sides on some period correct rims. A Speedway straight axle with disc brakes and some pie cutter skinnies will support the front. We'll put in a healthy 383 or 406 SBC with forged internals and a full roller cam / valvetrain. We've decided that the Hilborns I was going to put on the Scout will look far better on the Prefect so that's where they will end up. The driver will end up pretty much in the back seat with an offset position but the gass pedal will likely end up on the passenger side.

The sad part is we will have to wait til the spring for the snow to melt so we can get a trailer in to get the car. Even with a front end loader it's just too much hassle to try and get it out before the thaw. Then it'll be full steam ahead with a 2012 debut at the track. I'll put up a build thread as it happens.

 

Oh man I love those things...I was building one just prior to my move to North Carolina...could only afford to bring one car so that one and a few others had to be sold...been looking for another one here...great little scout...have fun and go fast!