Hot Rods Dare to be different - 63 Scout

That's a serious compliment considering the source. I've been a huge fan of the Strange Bird from the start. More than a couple of times I've considered abandoning the traditional sbc and going to a "strange" setup. There's always been that 500 in Caddy motor sitting in the corner... All it takes is money.

 

If there is one thing this Scout has taught me is to not be afraid of things I know little about. So far that would be welding, fabricating and now electrical. You ask a few experts, do a LOT of research and then dive in head first. That being said, my electrical re-do is 95% done and I am very happy with the results.

My brother had himself a good laugh as I put power to the board for the first time this past week and I had a friend standing close with a fire extinguisher... I'm proud to say that after a couple of hundred wire ties, a hundred or so feet of wire and a ton of terminal connections the board works and works great. The hardest part of the build was tracking down jumper strips for the terminal blocks. In the end I took 20 minutes and made them myself

What you don't see is the underside of the truck. All the wiring has been tucked up out of harms way and covered. It all leads into the seat well where the passenger seat should be and a metal plate bolted on top for protection. I'm considering using a tupperware box to contain the board and protect it from the elements.

I included a shot of the relay board before I cleaned it all up and took the time to properly mark the connections. (Sorry for the ugly green tape) Yes, by the way, that's a $3.99 cutting board being used as the base. Couldn't convince myself the Painless Wiring board was worth $39.99

 

With the front end stripped down we noticed that the upper shock mounts up front were bending badly from the wheelstands. I decided to replace them with stronger stuff. Luckily the previous tenants of the shop did some heavy metal work and left a lot of cut pieces behind. We found the perfect plates (left over from a battleship ???) and with some minor mods and some drilling / cutting / welding I have bigger stronger mounts.

Next projects
- adding a second tab to the front shock mounts at the axle
- relocating the steering box
- adding a brake proportioning valve
- Clean up the brake lines at the line loc
- Clean and touch up chassis

There is a very good possibility my rebuilt 377 with the roller cam could be on the dyno in a week or so. I'm hoping to have video

There is is also a rumor (that I started) that I'll be heading to the Meltdown Drags in July... All it will take is a good running Scout and a few planets to align... Hope to see you there !!

 

looks excellent dave

 

Do you think the shocks are bottoming out and that is what is bending the mount or was it just that the stiff shocks were over-whelming the mount? It is hard on the shocks when they take the full weight bottoming out on the way down. I am guessing you will now be transferring that energy somewhere else if they are indeed bottoming out. Possibly into the shock body or lower mount. You may want to think about frame snubbers above the axle if that is the case. I got mine from a local 4wd shop.

If the mount was just too flimsy and the shocks are not bottoming out, ... then please ignore me..

Wiring looks good BTW...

 

Good to see you bringing it back to life... freaking cool.

Love the videos... that thing leaves freaking hard....

 

http://jalopnik.com/5882257/international-scout-gasser-doing-wheelies-is-as-cool-as-it-sounds

Saxxon, your Scout is featured on jalopnik.com this afternoon. Linky above! That is some cool shit right there! Good on ya for getting such a cool gasser with a neat history back on the track.

 

Thanks for the heads up

WooHoo !!! Getting some mileage on er now !!

Guess now I have to get it running right this year and follow up on the publicity.
Motor on the dyno this week !!!

 

Awesome ride, I always liked the Scouts.

 

We put the repaired and upgraded 377 bullet on the dyno tonight. And we broke the dyno... literally

About 18 months ago we had the 377 on the dyno and with a stock 850 cfm carb and a mild solid lifter cam. (.538 / .308 dur) I reported that it made 509 Hp and 482 Tq. To be honest as much as I bragged about these numbers I have always been a bit skeptical of them. They seemed too high for the combination and the Scout's best performance of 11.01 / 118 equate to about 450 hp at the flywheel.

Tonights dyno runs are on a different dyno. My engine guy, Len and the dyno guy, Daryll are also skeptical of the previous dyno results and very they believe based on comparative dyno results that the other dyno is at least 10% on the generous side. Based on this theory, the estimate of 450 hp and 440 Tq for the previous combination make sense.

With the roller valve train and bigger cam (.630 / .308 dur) we made a best of 510 Hp / 475 Tq. I was actually disappointed with the max numbers but Len and Daryll seemed to be very impressed so what do I know (??) A gain of approx 60 Hp seems right for the cam and valvetrain change.

What has me very excited is what the graphs are showing. The previous runs showed a peak HP at 6600 rpm and a very fast drop off. Tonight the horsepower was over 500 from 5200 - 7000 rpm and holding the peak output of 510 Hp from 6400 - 6600 rpm. The torque on the previous runs was the same story with peak Tq at 4200 rpm and a relatively fast drop. Tonight the Tq hit 470 at 4800 and stayed above that until 5400 with 400+ Tq from the start of the dyno run at 4400 right up to 6600. The graphs on this run are stupid flat. This means the Scout is going to pull stronger through the target rpm range (I'm stoked) Len and Daryll were really impressed.

We seemed to have hit the combination bang on right from the start. We tried adding a 1" spacer and that actually lost power. We tried Q16 race fuel but I don't have enough compression to make it work. We were going to try a bigger carb but never got the chance since the dyno broke !!!

On our last run the bolts connecting the dyno input pulled out of the bellhousing. The spacer between the dyno and the bellhousing was destroyed as was the bellhousing. There was minor damage to my crankshaft by the flywheel but nothing terrible. My engine guy will go through it more thoroughly just to be sure. Sorry folks, no video of the big bang as I maxed out my camera's memory prior.

On a good note, I now know that my combination is working well (99.1% vol eff) and the jetting for the carb is bang on. The motor started and idled a LOT better than before. Overall I'm happy and satisfied but the first day at the track should really be the best way to tell if the upgrade made any major differences.

Initial start up


First pull


Dyno pics and Dyno damage

 

Hey kids... it's been a while since I updated anything but opening day at Interlake Dragway has come and gone and I had the Scout out to see if the repaired / upgraded bullet would finally get me that 10 second pass... I was hoping to run in the 10.80's... I was not disappointed

First pass right off the trailer I short shifted 1-2, drove thru some death wobble and ran a 10.79/119. To say I was pumped would be an understatement !!! I was looking for folks to chest bump back in the pits. More than a few folks thought I had finally lost it completely. I made a toe in adjustment to address the death wobble and then backed up the first pass with a 10.80/119 an hour later.

1st round of eliminations the sun went away and the temps dropped. I dialed in at 10.79 and got a first round bye. I used this free pass to and break out by a ton with a 10.59 (!!) The truck hooked really hard on a freshly prepped track and it showed with a 1.43 60ft. At this point my $#%! Locar trans dip stick is leaking badly. I goop a ton of silicone on it and stuff a few rags around it and go back out.

2nd round I fell asleep and got treed big time (.520 to my snoozing .680). I went 10.75 on my adjusted dial in of 10.59 and still only lost by a fender... ok... it was a big fender... and the back one to boot...

After wiping down my still leaking trans and stuffing in some fresh rags I went back for a test run and hit the trans brake hoping to stand the little beast on it's bumper. The track was going away and I blew the tires off. Still pulled the front end a full foot but it was not carried as far as I had hoped. Ran another 10.75. Must have been OK as I got a really good reaction from the decent crowd.

The day was a huge success. The Scout is deep into the 10's, it went 3 tenths faster than i had hoped and I didn't break anything expensive.

For now I plan to fix the dipstick issue and possibly leave the little monster in the shop until the meltdown drags in July. It's running great and that's just how I want it for that event. This plan might change since the track owner is bugging to come out for the ThunderJam event in the first week of July... I'll have to think about that one...

Sorry, no video and few pics. I had a kid out with me to do just that and only that. He brought his girlfriend with him and met friends... never saw him all day until it was time for lunch and then time to go... So... no media... at least not of any of my passes... time for a Go Pro.

 

Congratulations! You have to frame that .59 slip!

 

10.59 ! Congrats man, that's hauling for that square brick and those 60ft times are hooking too, way to go.

 

Getting the bugs worked out for the Thunderjam show on the 14th and then the Meldown Drags...

2 seperate passes. (Look at the cars in the background... )

The first was on a 11.09 pass.

The wheelie bar bending moonshot (for me anyway) was a 10.89 in the 85+ heat. Walked this out past the 60 ft timers

Actually I was just showing off the steering stabilizer we added this past week. I agonized about adding one all winter. (Not exactly period correct-ish) Now that I have one it is easily one of the best things i've done. Absolutely no sign of death wobble accelerating or stopping and the handling has become far more stable.

 

Wheelies are cool. It looks like fun to drive.

 

Nice Wheelies, I can't wait to see that thing run at the Meltdown Drags. I have a soft spot for Scouts since I learned to drive in a '67 Scout 800. I should really drive up to Gimli one weekend as well, since it is alot closer then Byron, IL.

 

Ditto, Only a few more weeks!

 

I'm digging it

 

Saxxon.....see you in just over a week????

Alot of people looking forward to checking this out.

E

 

Took a chance this past weekend and ran the Scout...hard... at our local track's big event. (Thunderjam) Since the little beast has been running so well we were going to leave it parked and save it for the Meltdown but there was more than a few requests for me to bring it out in including a few from the track owner. So being the attention whore that I am... we complied.

The short story is the Scout survived and isn't puking parts or fluids
We are still a very big "GO" for the Meltdown.

We have had 2 offers for enclosed trailers (and one motor home) fall thu so we'll be doing it old school. We're going to shrink wrap it in an attempt to protect it from the elements. To be honest, there was a brief discussion about hooking it up to a tow bar for the full 60's experience but common sense won out in the end.

As for the Thunderjam event... we rocked the house with a couple of big launches. The kids and the old time gasser guys loved it and we spent a lot of time during the pit party letting kids, and one old timer, sit in the truck with my racing jacket on. The Scout is running 10.80's off the trans brake (Really bad air) and a bit faster off idle... but off idle is boring.

Looking forward to getting there, being there and being part of the experience. 3 days and a wake-up and we're on the road...

 

Road trip to the Meltdown starts in 2 days !!!

Some action shots from this past weekend...

 

Last Thursday 3 of us loaded the Scout onto an open trailer and piled into my crew cab Dodge for a 16 hour tow to Byron Illinois for the 3rd annual Meltdown drags.

This event was put on by the Fugitives Car Club and I have to say, it was the best automotive event I have ever attended. The Byron track is top notch and the event was extremely well run and simply a blast. 300+ vintage race cars 1966 or older made passes. Many of these cars / trucks were run hard...very hard. There were 2 gasser groups match racing both days as well as a bunch of altered wheelbase machines and front engine dragsters includng a very fast blown flathead powered machine that ran 9's. (very cool). Straight axles were everywhere. If you have any interest in vintage drags you MUST attend this event next year.

Check out the site at www.meltdowndrags.com for pictures and info for next year.

The Scout ran great all weekend and ran a best of 10.88 / 118. We pulled some decent wheelstands and got more than our fair share of attention.

We match raced Redlineracer42 and his awesome 40 Stude for 2 passes Saturday afternoon. Check out the picture of us both leaving with our wheels up... classic. The Stude is awesome... it has a high winding smallblock, TKO 5 speed, 5.38 gears and it's street legal !! All that and it's knocking on the 10 second door... I can't wait for our rematch next year.

The highlight of the weekend for me was a toss up between being interviewed by Hot Rod Deluxe with a promise that the Scout will be in the next issue (Very cool) and ... being recognized by the Fugitive Car Club and Gasser Wars Magazine for our long tow and general attitude. The $100 they presented us went a long way towards getting us back home...(Thank you)

The lowlight was my only pass on Sunday. We had the wheelie bars raised to the "Holy Crap" setting and the pill in the 2 step was as high as we've ever had it (5000 rpm). What we should have realized was that after a much needed rain storm Sunday, (need for the area, not the event) the track had re-prepped with a ton of glue. The truck hooked hard and then bent the wheelie bars which threw the little beast to the left. If you look close on the video, you can see the bars bend and the Scout pull 3 wheels off the track.

The re-entry was harsh... we bent the front axle, shock and shock mount. We may have also damaged the steering box and left front spring pack. That all goes along with the bent wheelie bars and destroyed bar mounts.

It's all repairable... we'll have the Scout on a frame starightener next week to get the axle back to where it should be. Then we'll add some gussets. The wheelie bars will have to wait as we will have to pull the diff to fix the mounts. That won't happen until the off season. Which means no more wheelstands until fixed.

By the way... the video of the bar bending pass caught the eye of the guys from Bangshift... and they posted the vid on their site... very very cool

This is the pass that produced the side by side shot with the 40 Stude



The... Not so good pass...



The pictures...

 

Very cool build.

 

After slowing the video down and watching it 10 or 12 times, we saw that we launched hard enough onto the bars to lift the driver side rear wheel a few inches off the ground (up on one wheel) this caused the side to side torque that bent the bars / mounts. When the truck came down on the left side there was a very sickening "thud" as the axle flexed far enough to hit the track. Luckily the wheel and tire survived. Not so much the axle / shock...

We straightened the axle on our crank straightener rather easily... (too easy?) I welded in some reinforcement to the top of the axle. I also managed to straighten my steering box damage with the same tool. Proper 90/10 shocks are on order to replace the bent and twisted Napa units.

The plan is to run the little beast without reparing the wheelie bars / bar mounts. Just means no more entertaining launches until we can pull the diff and weld in new wheelie bar mounts. Winter plans may see us adding a new Chrome Moly axle. We'll have to see how the finances play out. <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
__________________

 

Ladies, and Gentlemen, This ia a Inter,nation,al Scout!! Love the announcer in the first video

 

Awesome ! I have a 79 Scout ll .It's a life saver up here in the winter !

 

Our season is over. Nothing wrong or broken with the Scout just unable to get out for the last race dates due to prior commitments.

Overall the season was a huge success.
> Had waayy too much fun
> Ran my first 10 with a best of 10.59
> Showed up at the Meltdown event and got more than my share of attention
> Met some awesome folks at the Meltdown event I can't wait to see again for 2013
> Made it into Hot Rod Deluxe as part of the Meltdown coverage
> Was approached by Gasser Wars magazine to submit a feature car sheet. (No promises but hey... they asked me)
> Didn't frag an engine (2 last year) or any other major drive train part
> Did I mention I had wwaaayyy too much fun ?
> Featured on Bangshift (again) even it it was for the wrong reasons (Breakage !!)

Now the little beast is coming apart and will me gone through over the winter.
Look for an anouncement on a MAJOR upgrade very shortly !!

Thanks for the season folks.

 

Nothing wrong with a season like that, other than your bent axle if I remember right...lol

 

Look for an anouncement on a MAJOR upgrade very shortly !!

Thanks for the season folks.[/QUOTE]

Could the MAJOR announcement be a HEMI MOTOR??

 

That's pretty cool! I'm would love to drop some power into my '74 Scout II. I'm done with rebuilding IH motors. Heavy and pricey. I love the IH's! Had mine for 23 years now nod the other for 5.