Twelve years ago I bought this 78 Scout for $100 including a Myers plow. I've plowed a lot of snow with it but year after year the rust got worse so I finally decided it would be a good winter project to get it in a better shape. Presently I have rockers, floor pans, cab mounts and wedges, and body bushings on order. The next work will be replacing the rear quarters and end caps. The body will be left on the frame for this restore. This is my first restoration undertaking but with all the great info from you guys it doesn't seem overly daunting. I now have it my shop and have been working on the fenders and hood. So this is what I'm starting with. John
Received the floor pans, rockers, cab mounts and wedges from Super Scout (great guys to work with). Time to start cutting and making an attack plan. Will brace it up and dig into the cab mount next, fab a new rear floor brace and start cutting out the old rocker. Test fitting the pan.
Found some time to start the passenger side rocker and floor. Looks like the rear brace is shot, will probably replace with a 1"x3". Not sure yet about the front two, they are fairly stout but may replace those also. Does anyone have a preference on using a 1"x3" for the cab mount vs. the stamped steel cab mount and wedge for overall strength? First attempt at the outer rocker notch is a bit rough but will clean it up better.
Thanks Dave - I have only seen one other Scout on the road in my area so I am excited to get this one roadworthy again. John
Waiting on epoxy primer and some more rear gussets from superscout spec.. Since this is my first project like this I end up spending a lot of time devising a plan of attack, the actual work goes fairly quickly once I dig into it. The rockers, floor pans and pillars are like a puzzle putting them all together. The rest is pretty straight forward except one tricky part in front of the cap window.
Robert-looks like you have a good project going on and we're about at the same place on the floor pans. Just received some epoxy primer so I'll be moving forward soon.
Looks like you've got your work cut out for you... or maybe you're cutting out work for yourself. You might want to add some cross bracing on the doors where you're removing rockers and floors. You also should have a good look at the step mount now too, looks a little rusty in that area and if you're replacing/repairing it you want to do it before the floors.
Thanks for the advice. I did weld in a cross brace but the door dropped when I cut out the cab mount, hoping I can level it when I weld in the rocker and get the body mount back in. Yes the rear step mount needs some reinforcement and will hopefully figure that out before welding the floor pan down. I've been unable to find clear photos of how that mount ties into the rocker or gussets.
It rests flat across the top of the rocker and bolts to the B Pillar (i see whats left of one of the bolts on yours). I built one out of tubing instead of the original design because I left the body on the frame like you, It's really hard to get at on the frame. http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/index.php?threads/1976-scout-ii-amateur-hour-s.141651/page-2 If you're frame off you can replace it as original with the patch panels if there's enough metal left on yours. Have a look through this build and you'll see how everything goes together. http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/index.php?threads/1977-scout-ii-body-rebuild.139946/
Good for you to save it! My '75 that I just bought with 84,000 miles on it was a plow truck too. It came from the high rockies of Colorado and was used by a church for the cemetery and the parking lot. It does not have as much rust as yours, but had the huge Meyer plow setup on it as well. I left all of that stuff in Colorado. http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/index.php?threads/my-new-75-scout-ii-81-000-mile-truck.146194/ Heres mine: JJ in TN
I think JJ was high while in CO (elevation that is). That would have been a Western plow (not Meyers), not that it changes anything! Now back to rust R&R.
Kohler- thanks for the links! JJ- my old scout is a clone of yours, has been a beast of a plow truck but she will feel so much lighter without the weight. The deeper you cut the more rust you find. True fact! After staring at this for a while I am now cutting and putting the puzzle together. Hopefully the drivers side will go quicker.
you're not kidding about the weight, I left that miserable piece of scrap metal in Colorado, then I had to replace the springs because they were extra saggy. Progress looks great! JJ in TN
Back when I cut out the rockers and front floor mounts I got a little nervous when my door dropped about 2 inches even with a single brace welded in. Today I got the two front body mounts in and when I lowered the body back down the door was perfect, happy camper here. Been working on strengthening the rear B pillar and will finish when I get the new quarter panel. Still need to weld the bottoms of the floor braces, oh how I wish I had a lift. And then a kick panel patch along with a few other little patches and the floor will be ready to weld in. John
