1976 Scout Traveler, Ultimate Expedition Build

[Comanche Scott]

Eye in the sky

The owner is stopping by to make the final decision....




[tinfoil hat on] Were you just spying on me? I picked up the driveshafts today, 15 min ago I was literally laying under the truck checking the front shafts fitment, or lack thereof.... I had the front shaft made with a smaller diameter tube than I normally would, but bumped the material up to 1.5 dia x .250 chromoly tubing. I will need to clearance the trans pan, but it should fit no problems after that. In extreme cases, I build a 2 piece front driveshaft with a carrier to get around the pan, but they tend to vibrate at higher speeds in 4wd.


.

:costumed-smiley-007 Google Earth is amazing... :sombrero:
I just dropped you a PM in regards to duplicating the trans pan mods. Originally I considered clocking the D300 down, but that flat belly is so nice. A modified pan and thinner driveshaft would be more appropriate for my build as well.

Scott

 

[Scoutpappa]

It's better than it was. The Lite Line dealers can get a lot more now than was available ten years ago. Of course when they bought out the original molds for body panels they are still 30+ years old now so fitment is always fun. It's really the small trim pieces that are harder to find, but Internationals' lines, especially the Scout lines were limited production when compared to the big three and Jeep, so it's no wonder that the aftermarket barely supports us. Of course there are fabricators such as yourself that are doing awesome custom work, so as long as there are Scout owners and fabricators I see a pretty bright future for these vehicles to live on.

 

[DanimalsBurb]

Chinese + Jeep = Cheep

 

[BradtheWelder]

I am surprised at how few reproduction parts there are for Scouts, I can literally build a brand new flatfender from a catalog of chinese "jeep" parts.

I looked up early bronco parts the other day and couldn't believe all the stuff can get for them. They even sell almost whole truck kit. Very cool.

 

[rube bonet]

I looked up early bronco parts the other day and couldn't believe all the stuff can get for them. They even sell almost whole truck kit. Very cool.

I know, I want one!
http://www.streetlegaltv.com/news/d...bodies-announces-66-77-ford-bronco-repro-body

.

 

[Binder Lou]

Rob, as a Scout owner of 33 years I've seen many builds and yours has some of the best fabrication I've seen yet. It does my IH red heart good to see someone bring a Binder to this level. I can't wait to see what this truck looks like when it's completed. Maybe you could bring it out to one of the West Coast IH shows.

 

[rube bonet]

Rob, as a Scout owner of 33 years I've seen many builds and yours has some of the best fabrication I've seen yet. It does my IH red heart good to see someone bring a Binder to this level. I can't wait to see what this truck looks like when it's completed. Maybe you could bring it out to one of the West Coast IH shows.

Glad I'm keeping the IH folks happy! As far as the shows, that may be a possibility.

I switched gears and finished up the roof rack...still contemplating on the bumper.

I decided to mount all of the gear in a "modular" fashion, as most of the time it will not be needed; there is no reason to keep the drag and weight on top all the time. In fact, the entire roof rack comes off with 4 bolts, so it will be easy to configure the vehicle for different uses. The rack will even bolt back on to the cage if need be with the top off for open air wheeling.

Here is the rack fully welded, with all of the gear mounts stripped off, plenty of room for large bulky items, lumber, etc. The 20 ga sheet metal panel in front gives room to mount antennas and a base for the wind deflector, if we decide to build one in the future.

The jerry can tray uses a simple ratchet strap to hold the cans in place. Those cans won't be up there too often (longer range trips only), so I wanted the carrier to be more universal. I sized it too fit two pelican cases, and left strap mounts along the sides to strap in whatever other small odds and ends you might have.

Am I the only one that takes joy in stuff like this? I needed some u bolts to hold all of the gear mounts to the roof rack. I started thinking about it, and I could kill two birds with one stone. I needed spare U joint retaining U bolts ( to go along with the spare u joints) for the rear driveshaft...they happened to be exactly the size I needed for my roof rack mounts. Now, my spare parts can do double duty as rack mounting hardware, and save me 8.5 oz on the total vehicle weight!

Plenty of room left on the rack for gear bags, camp chairs, etc...

 

[rube bonet]

Shovel/ axe holder, will hold 3 handled tools. Clamp handles swing together and can be fastened together with a lock.

Still plenty of room on the backside for more gear behind the rotopax water cans.

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

Man, this thing just keeps getting better and better as it evolves

 

[rube bonet]

I also got the rain cap with a bug screen to finish off the air intake system. The cap can also be interchangeable with a longer extension :snorkel:

Rather than cut a large hole in the hood, I found a really cool quick release hose clamp to allow easy removal of the rain cap. Really cool means "60$ with shipping from the UK", so I found a couple used ones off Ebay for a fraction of the price. I also need to finish off the cuts in the hood.

 

[rube bonet]

Man, this thing just keeps getting better and better as it evolves

Thanks, it seems like all the pieces are coming together.

.

 

[njtacoma]

I looked at a Traveler back in '91 and I really wanted it. This one rekindles all kins of old fantasies.

In my mind I would have built i just like this one (without any real skill or time).

Reality is it would have probably looked like this by now with no real changes:

 

[fasteddy47]

Shovel/ axe holder, will hold 3 handled tools. Clamp handles swing together and can be fastened together with a lock.

Ok...... I have to know where you got that big Wing Nut holding the Jack-All down..... Slick rack mount and love the U Bolts...

 

[Project510]

This build is fantastic! :bowdown: Cant wait to see it all finished! Do you plan on posting any kind of total cost?

It would be interesting to see the cost associated with all this, although hard to put a price on such great fab skills haha!

Keep up the awesome work, we all enjoy it!

 

[PGT]

Rather than cut a large hole in the hood, I found a really cool quick release hose clamp to allow easy removal of the rain cap. Really cool means "60$ with shipping from the UK", so I found a couple used ones off Ebay for a fraction of the price. I also need to finish off the cuts in the hood.

4" clamps? That's a great idea....I was wondering how you were going to get the hood open.