new member and his scout

[colorado matt]

hi my name is Matt ... i always perceived overlanders as ones who would journey for months or years on end ... typically using anything from a bike to a very capable off road rig .... while mostly camping and trying to maintain self substainability for long periods between "reloading" .... never say never but not sure i see myself taking more than a couple of weeks at a time ... also i like the base camp idea with day trips out and about from camp ... with that being said i found this site several months ago ... and WOW ... I MEAN WOW ... what a fabulous informative site .... love the willingness of everyone to share and help out newbs like me that are just now scratching the surface ..... i think the main reason for me (right now) joining is to help the vision of an off road capable camping trailer ... i had no idea of all the cool gadgets and ways to incorporate basic needs into a box with a footprint about the size of a sheet of plywood .... i am in love with so many ideas it is overwhelming ..... hot water on demand... roof top tents.... pull out kitchens .... it is like learning a new language and loving every new word you learn .... never thought i would be able to have any thing besides a ground tent and a cooler once i got on to a trail that the average car would have to stop at

ok the scout .... bought it without knowing anything about scouts ... quickly became a fan .. that old iron gets under your skin.... paid little over a grand for it ... lifted it 4 inches .. threw a bigger gas tank in it ... little bit bigger tires and used it to go play .. and play and play ... was living on the western slope(grand junction) at the time and it was quite fun .... then disaster... my neglect or lack of knowledge blew the engine (i know now that i most likely wiped a/some cam bearings) when i dropped the oil pan i found a piece of connecting rod part of a piston and enough bearing material to make a fancy necklace... by this time i had to rebuild... no way could i get rid of old blue ... that was 3 years ago... 1 week ago i started the scout for the first time in a very long time .... and deciding not be stupid any more i learned the whole time .... about rust..welding... bodywork.. electrical ... engine rebuilding ... paint ... all of it .... i did it all myself in the driveway and small garage and while most things i attempted were far beyond my capabilities it all worked out in the end ... i could not be happier .... my vision is and has been to have a capable and somewhat comfortable camping rig that will get me past the masses .... i think i am on the right track by joining this site

three years ago









1976 scout II ,,, 345,,, 4 inch SUA ,,, t-19 wide tranny ... 3.54 gearing sitting on 33s ... 33 gallon tank .... with a list of things to come









now as i put on the finishing touches to the truck i dream of the trailer that will get pulled behind so that i may have all that i desire .... and again it will be a learning experience .... i am quite patient and it will take the time to achieve my goal .... most likely to much time because i have champagne taste and a beer budget as they say ... not that i am cheap ... just cash poor .... so things that i want take time ..... glad to be here ....hope the pics came thru ... Matt

 

[Baloo]

Man that is one good looking International,

 

[zelatore]

Let's see, you've got a binder and a Fiat. Sounds like a winning combo. I say welcome aboard sir!

 

[The Uniblog]

Looking good!

 

[colorado matt]

thanks guys ..... very excited to get the scout legal .... pushed real hard these past several months to get the truck painted before winter set in ... it was a great feeling to start putting things back together instead of tearing down and fixing stuff .... list of things to do include better insulating the cab and carpet... roll cage ... front winch bumper and winch ... on board air ... tire carrier on the back to give some room in the truck (33 inch tire gets exponentially bigger as you stuff it in the back) ... and receiver hitch ...some type of cargo rack.... along with all the little things that I am still trouble shooting ... no heater blower ??? fuel fill hose leaking .. track down the "no horn" problem ..also would not mind some music .... being so close to the mountains and only the fiat as my daily driver (which is awesome..runs much better than she looks) I am looking forward to having the truck back .... as stated earlier it should be great for pulling whatever trailer I come up with to some nice "off the beaten path" locations .... and I have to say again .... WOW ... where have I been ... I just never knew about all the "stuff" .... hours and hours spent in the trailer build section already ... most likely where I will live for some time ....Matt

 

[voodootruckers]

Nice Binder, any updates?

 

[colorado matt]

mostly saving for wants .... found,what I think, is a great front bumper on ebay for 300 bucks delivered to the front door ..beefy winch capable light tabs and d ring spots .... hoping to order it soon .... also found a crack in the frame by the steering box that needs to be addressed ....... so not driving it till that gets done .... steering was quite scary over 45 ... the crack in the frame ... found the steering box bolts only finger tight and the 4 degree wedges that should have been put in when lift springs were installed are not there .... pretty sure all this attributed to the bad steering ..... a cut and turn is the correct fix but is costly ... going to get the frame crack welded .... and add the 4 degree shims that will help with castor angle .... hope the drive line angel will still be acceptable and run with that .... bought some stuff to work on the headliner .... truck runs great once warmed up ... still learning about carbs and the 2300 on it now needs some tweaking.... have not gotten an actual MPG but not sure I want to know .... seems to love the gas more than I think it should ..... some of the local trails I want to explore still have snow .... and while I am sure it would be fun I justify the slowness of my build on the fact I don't like the cold that much .... as for "overlanding" .... I have begun to research parts to build my own slide ... need a better cargo system for the top other than 2 cross bars ... it is cheaper to buy a cage kit and have welded than to create a custom cage ... at least at my skill level ... cage is not something I want to "try" and then when needed / if needed find out I failed ..... it will take some time to get where I want as time is what I have and money is not ..... little things popping up here and there are taken care of but now it seems that most items on my wants list start at around a grand .... for me that takes time ..... we have also had an unusual amount of rain ... seemingly for a month straight ... weird ..... mud is not my thing ... don't mind it when I gotta get thru it but again another justification of why I remain happy and in love with a truck that hardly moves lately ..... Matt

 

[colorado matt]

ok so its been a while thought I would update my progress .... front bumper



before



after





winter project



then some kc daylighters and a free fairlead from a buddy (he wanted shiny)



canoe shot



then the winch .... smittybuilt 10k waterproof .... now the winch has reports of not being truly waterproof but ways to fix it along with the complaints led me to pretty much tear it down ... clean re-grease and re-seal the whole thing ... actually wasn't that bad a job ... messy but easy ....



then the rocks ... oh so many rocks .... committed to a job for 6 weeks shoveling rocks .... 4-6 tons a day times 2 times 6 weeks .... that is a lot of rocks .... but purchased the single most expensive bolt on piece to date .... my dream bumper ... jack mount jerry can holder class 3 receiver hitch d-ring mounts and it holds my spare to boot .... crazy how happy this thing made me







got the winch mounted the same time as the bumper



looking good ..... no spare because tire was so close to rubbing I elected for a spacer ...waiting for that to arrive



then the truck itself asked the universe for something else as I was so happy I was not paying attention but had the sense to set up alerts long ago on craigslist when certain keys words all in one post pop up I get a text .... and that led to this



a wilderness rack 54x85x6 ... 8 mounting points and all the gutter mount hardware ..... 150 bucks .... I am in heaven ... and it looks like it was made for the scout .... love the sixe of it .... (keep in mind this is my camping rig) ... here are a few more pics ..... working on making my heavy duty drag link over the winter and got a York compressor and will start getting parts collected for my oba setup









still lurk every day and soaking up info and wishes ...... Matt

 

[Eaglefreek]

Looking good!

 

[boxcar1]

I wheel with a corn binder guy. Gotta love the Scouts . His will go anywhere.



And do it while hauling 6 kids...and my broken Zuke.
Your a lucky man...

 

[colorado matt]

thanks boxcar1 ... they are tanks for sure ... pretty much go where ever you point them .... love your zuke .... got some friends in Oregon ... if I ever get to the point of traveling past my Colorado playground would love to bring the rig and "the trailer in my mind" out that way .... someday .... someday

 

[warwickscout]

nice scout where did you get that rear bumper? I got a 78

 

[colorado matt]

your scout looks great ... kids were mad I did not paint mine red ..... bumper is from D&C Extreme out of Colorado springs ... 1000 bucks with tax ... but I went and picked it up .... add 150 for shipping .... but great guys .... scout guys .... everything ..and I mean everything lined up perfect .... everything I wanted in a bumper ... a 33 inch spare sure does take up a lot of space in the back of the truck ... it was nice getting it out back ...... and I picked up this the other day



but wait ...... whaaaaat its a tool box ...

will hold most of my tools recovery gear and air stuff ... gotta love Christmas money .... Matt

 

[warwickscout]

that's the rear bumper I want ,big money.i just got a jerry can now I need one of those to match

 

[ExplorerTom]

That is a good looking bumper. And a pretty good price. The guy that built mine would have charged about an additional $600-$800 for everything you got.