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The 1969 International Harvester Scout 800A...what exactly should I say about a vehicle that has been such of a part of my life that it even influenced me to name my e-mail address after it? (Yes, I was involved in the Cub and Boy Scouts in the 1980's, but that isn't why I chose the "scout-o-rama" e-mail address in January 1999. The 69 Scout is the namesake of my personal e-mail address.)
First of all, I must note that the Scout isn't my personal vehicle. The honor belongs to my father, who has owned the hardy, compact, spartan SUV since Spring 1977, with the exception of a brief month-long period in Autumn 1989 when my father SOLD the beloved Scout after he bought another vehicle...another SUV, as matter of fact.
Fortunately, my dad got the Scout back. All of my family was happy to get the Scout back since it had been part of many memories my family and I shared. I'll share some with you now. I will be celebrating my 28th birthday in February 2001 and my dad purchased the Scout when I was four years of age. So, the Scout has been a fixture in my life for many years.
My very first memory of the Scout was the evening when my dad went to pick up the Scout in 1977. My family and I were living in Wilmington, NC at the time and we were riding in one of the other vehicles my dad had, probably a 1974 Cutlass--which he traded a 1967 GTO a year earlier for, to go and pick up the Scout at Carolina Beach, NC, about fifteen miles south of Wilmington.
That night, I rode with my dad in the Scout to go back home. I remember my dad putting the Scout in reverse and the Scout made this strange erring sound when it was being backed up. (It still makes the same sound even today in 2001 when it is backed up. Just hearing the Scout being backed up now almost takes me back to that night in 1977.)
Another memory is when my dad would take the Scout out to Carolina or Topsail Beach to go surf fishing on Saturdays, or the times when some members of my extended family would all go riding in the Scout down on the beach at Fort Fisher, NC--near Carolina Beach and he would engage the front axle in gear. We didn't necessarily go "four-wheeling" with mud slinging everywhere, but we did get in some unforgiving sand at times. Those times when some extended family members would ride at Fort Fisher, my paternal grandfather would be in the front seat with my dad and the jarring of the Scout over the sand would bounce them up and down. The family still recalls that from time to time.
My family also used to take a small pop-up camper to White Lake, near Elizabethtown, NC several times during the late 70's and early 80's and we would take the Scout and the camper to a campground at White Lake and just have a grand relaxing time. It's funny how simple things then would be so fun to a youngster.
Well, that's enough time down memory lane, isn't it? (I could go on, especially about the time in July 1985 when I was 12 and BACKED the Scout up with the tailgate down into my dad's 1974 Cutlass while in the yard. The Scout survived without any dents or scratches. I can't say that about the Cutlass. The fiberglass front was all crushed. Fortunately, my dad tried his best to repair the grill, emblem, and shell. The Cutlass didn't look the same after that. It took ME a while to get over that, too! One of the worst things about that day was a friend of mine was in the Scout when I backed it into the Cutlass. I was embarrassed. But, have I learned? Probably so...)
It's time for some facts about the 69 Scout! First, the Scout was originally a two-wheel drive. However, a year after my dad bought it, he purchased an abandoned four-wheel drive 1967 Scout 800 with all of its front running gear still intact. (I even remember the period of time when my dad switched out the front axle from the donor Scout and up underneath the 69 Scout. I remember waiting for what seemed like an eternity for my dad to get the 69 Scout back on the road again.)
The 69 Scout is blessed with the original two-tone body paint, upholstery, 196 CI (3.1 Liter) slant four-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission (with the 1967 Scout 800 four wheel drive transfer case mated to it), and sheetmetal. Also, even though the top is removable, it never has been. (One interesting fact about the Scout's engine is the fact that it is derived from the right bank of a 392 CI International V8. That resulted in a large four-cylinder engine with some awesome torque...it is the same size as the 3100 V6 in my 1996 Chevy Beretta. I must say that International Harvester was very thrifty and nifty in its day.)
Also, my dad has a 1964 Scout 80 series, which he bought in June 1992. He bought it for a parts Scout, which hasn't been used for that purpose. There has been some talk of restoring it, but it might be beyond that inning of the game. Who knows?!
Just in case you are wondering...THE 69 SCOUT IS NOT FOR SALE!! (And, I think it never will be.)
If I haven't seriously bored you yet, it is time for Some Brief International Scout Trivia. But, if I have killed your interest, use the links below to get where you want to go...
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE MAIN HOME INDEX PAGE
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE 1984 PONTIAC 100O WEBPAGE
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE 1988 PONTIAC GRAND AM WEBPAGE
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE 1996 CHEVROLET BERETTA WEBPAGE
Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!
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SOME INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER TRIVIA...
First, Scouts were produced by the International Harvester Company from 1961 to 1980 and were very popular, so popular in fact that Ford Motor Company even introduced a similarly styled SUV in 1966. We know that SUV as the ever-popular Bronco, which was discontinued in the late 1990's and replaced with the Expedition and a host of other Ford-based SUV's. (The Scout was one of the first SUV's around, along with the hardy Jeep. So, sport-utes really aren't that "new" and trendy after all, are they?)
Second, the first body style of the Scouts was used from 1961 until 1971, when the Scout II was introduced. (There are more Scout II's on the road in 2001 then the original Scouts. But, even the Scout II's are becoming scarce as International Harvester is now Navistar International and all of the Scout parts were sold to various outfitters, which some can be found on the Internet.)
The original Scouts were the 80 series, which lasted until 1966, when the 800 series was introduced. In 1969, the original Scout had a minor facelift and the 800A series was born. That new updated lasted until 1971, when the short-lived 800B series made its debut, only to be replaced by the 800C series. The 800C series is commonly known as the Scout II, which was a major redesign of the original spartan Scout. The Scout II was offered in various forms, including a long wheelbase pickup after 1975, when the International Harvester Company discontinued its light duty line of trucks, except for the Scout.
Unfortunately, though, all good things must come to an end and the International Scout line was discontinued on October 21, 1980. That was a sad day and STILL have in my possession the Wilmington Star newspaper article clipping showing the last Scout produced. I remember my dad telling me about the last Scout being produced while we were eating out at a seafood restaurant one night and I was surprised by the news. I clipped the article out of the newspaper after he told me. (I was seven years old then and that was over twenty years ago...my! How time does fly.) Also, I scanned the clipping in. Click here to see it if you want.
If you're interested in more information about International Scouts in general, check out Gary Billings' website, which is part of the International WEBRING. Click here to go to Gary's web site, which is geared solely to the humble and spartan Scout.
I also have several Scout and International Harvester Company books in my possession, which include:
The Illustrated International Pickup and Scout Buyer's Guide, by Tom Brownell, published by Motorbooks International in 1993,
International Truck Color History, by Tom Brownell and Patrick W. Ertel, published by Motorbooks International in 1997,
International Scout Gold Portfolio 1961 to 1980, compiled by R. M. Clarke, published by Brooklands Books,
International Trucks, by Frederick W. Crismon, published by Motorbooks International in 1995,
And, last, but not least…
150 Years of International Harvester, by C. H. Wendel, published by Crestline Publishing in 1981.
So, if you have time on your hands, extra money to spend, and enough interest in International Harvester and the Scout, go to one of your local bookstores, namely Barnes & Noble, and browse through one of these books I just mentioned. You can also go to Amazon online to browse there.
Happy Reading!! CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO THE TOP!
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