Family weekend Warrior

[markk]

Newbie who just picked up a 78 Traveler. Body very solid and overall unmolested truck. Was traded in for a motorhome. First order of business is to address a "small" oil leak and fix a broken muffler. I really want to loose the top and add a softop and liftgate (if anyone has one int the Charlotte NC area and/or has done this I would love to see it.)

Looking to be the weekend family truck for camping, local car shows, home depot, etc. first time I have owned a 4X4 of any sort so it should be an adventure.

[surfnturf]

Very nice looking Traveler.

[markk]

Well... after the only work I was able to do to our green Weekend Warrior was getting a new muffler and some general tidying up... the family and I were taking a nice ride out to visit some family and on a long uphill stretch of highway we suffered what could only be called a catastrophic engine failure (complete with oil spray on the hood and windshield and oil and coolant all over the shoulder of interstate 40.)

Had her towed to a nearby shop who will do the close up inspection tomorrow and we can begin plotting from there. As I was traveling with the wife and kids, I didn't get much time to climb around and try to ascertain the extent of the damage but from the way it happened and the noise it made while doing so, I am assuming the worst.

Kudos out to my wife who was an incredible sport with the whole thing. After a nice lunch recommendation from the manager of the Meineke in Black Mountain who is now the current caretaker of "Bruce" (as the kids have dubbed the Scout (as in Bruce Banner aka the Hulk) we got a ride to the Ashville Airport where we secured a mini van for the ride home. Oh well... it is all part of the adventure right.

[Comanche Scott]

Nice looking Scout-II.
Definitely a story to remember!
Will be interesting to find out what happened. Will keep my fingers crossed for you.
Keep us posted.

[guidolyons]

Ahh the trials and tribulations of owning an old Scout

I hope you are able to get "Bruce" fixed up and back on the road again.

Remember the four wheeler's mantra "Don't just fix it, UPGRADE"

I grew up near Asheville, it's nice place for a Sunday drive with the family.

[mormetl]

Nice truck, but crappy start. Wasn't that Scout at an RV place near Hickory? I went to college in Asheville and love the area. Hope that "Bruce" doesn't have to have extensive surgery. Keep us posted.
Nate

[Scott Hickman]

Did I see that today at Applachian Performance Automotive on US 70, Black Mountain?

What is the current status of your Traveler?

[markk]

Originally Posted by Scott Hickman

Did I see that today at Applachian Performance Automotive on US 70, Black Mountain?

What is the current status of your Traveler?

Scott... that is ours. Currently hanging out in the holding pen at AP. They are rather busy and are having trouble finding time to get it in the shop even to assess the extent of the damage. Unfortunately, being 120+ miles away, it is hard to be enough of a pest apparently.

So far all we know is the the head gasket blew and I had a pretty significant oil/coolant leak up near the firewall (which sounds rather ominous.) If, in fact, the old motor is shot, I have been looking into some of the Chevy power train swaps which look like that may be the way to go and would seem to be something these guys could do.

Really wish I we had at least broke down closer to home but... oh well. Any chance you know those guys..

Nate... Close, we bought it from Camping World in Statesville as it was a trade-in on an RV.

[BIGROTT88]

Good looking rig, Sorry to hear about the break down. Wife and I loved Asheville. Hope you get it back soon.

[Mitch Neal]

Originally Posted by markk

Really wish I we had at least broke down closer to home but... oh well. Any chance you know those guys..

Nate... Close, we bought it from Camping World in Statesville as it was a trade-in on an RV.

Mark, You might want to talk to Nate, as he moves Scouts and IH's all over the US. He could possibly transport it closer to your home so you can manage the repairs a little easier. Just a thought. Good luck, don't swap in chevy power, just find a good used motor and swap it in if it comes to that.