1972 International Scout

[Feedforward]

Here is my TV. It is a 1972 International Scout with a 304 and 4 speed manual. It also has manual steering and four wheel drum brakes. I use a Hayes break controller, and a reese WD hitch with anti-sway brake.

It's a little slow up hills, but other than that it behaves pretty well on the road at 60mph or so.

The Airstream is a 1972 Globetrotter 20. While both the truck and the airstream are still a little rough on the outside, they are both in in great shape for their age!

[mayco]

Sweet set up

[OilnH2o]

Nice outfit... I feel a "little rough" on the outside but think I'm all right, for my age!

[gmw photos]

Totally awesome ! I'm a little rough on the outside too, but I prefer to say I am aging gracefully.
Enjoy the rig, thanks for sharing the picture.

[Feedforward]

Thanks for the great comments! I'll let you know how the maiden voyage goes when we get back next week...

[robert claus]

Slow and steady, and watch the miles roll by.......looks great.

[Feedforward]

The weekend outing with the Airstream and Scout went really well. Everything on the Airstream worked perfectly, and the Scout got us to the campsite and home again without any problems. I did end up coasting into the gas station as we pulled back into town. I thought the Scout's 19 gallon fuel tank would be more than enough for the 120 mile round trip. Even though the Scout did the job, I think I need to seriously consider a more efficient tow vehicle!

[dcheshire]

I'm in awe. My scout is "the one that got away" and I plan to buy another, with the hope of pulling our 29' ambassador with it.

I'd get the 345 with the 4speed. What gearing do you have in the differentials? how was stopping the thing?

[Feedforward]

Originally Posted by dcheshire

I'm in awe. My scout is "the one that got away" and I plan to buy another, with the hope of pulling our 29' ambassador with it.

I'd get the 345 with the 4speed. What gearing do you have in the differentials? how was stopping the thing?

I agree that a 345 would provide better pulling power, but it came with the 304, and I'm sticking with it! The 304 has tons of low end torque, just not much ummph left once it is up to speed. It has the stock 2 barrel Holley carb, which really works well. TBI fuel injection is another possible upgrade. I don't think it would do much for improving power, but I'm sure it would get better mileage.

I'm running 3.73 differential with a stock T-18 4 speed that provides a 1:1 ratio in 4th (6.32:1 in first!). There is no overdrive. With 33x9.5" tires, it runs about 2700 RPM at 60MPH in 4th. I was really worried that so much sidewall would lead to severe sway, but even on heavily rutted 2 lane highway, with 18 wheelers blowing by in the opposite lane, I never had any instability.

Stopping is fine, but there is significant fade. Front discs would be much better, and are in the upgrade plan. I did get a slight pucker factor when a moose decided to run across the highway about 100 yards ahead of me when I was running about 60mph while towing the airstream. Fortunately, it was a fast moose!

We are purchasing a 2015 Toyota Highlander with a 5k tow capacity. I'll probably just use the Scout for puttering around the back roads here in eastern WA. At 43 years old, I think it's time to let her rest!

[PaulnGina]

Just because of the coolness factor, I'd keep using the Scout! Half the fun of these old vehicles is fixing them up and keeping them running. We have a 1981 Bronco in the same category. I have purposely NOT checked the gas mileage on it. Since we don't spend three to four hundred dollars on cell phones and TV packages, I think I can pay for a few gallons of gas!

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by Feedforward

I'm running 3.73 differential with a stock T-18 4 speed that provides a 1:1 ratio in 4th (6.32:1 in first!). There is no overdrive. With 33x9.5" tires, it runs about 2700 RPM at 60MPH in 4th.

Interesting. As a comparison our Infiniti G35 has a 3:34 rear axle ratio with a 5 speed auto. We tow in 4th gear, 60MPH, also at 2,700RPM. We use 50 series, 27" dia tires.

[Feedforward]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

Interesting. As a comparison our Infiniti G35 has a 3:34 rear axle ratio with a 5 speed auto. We tow in 4th gear, 60MPH, also at 2,700RPM. We use 50 series, 27" dia tires.

Hmmm. Did some quick math. With each revolution of the tire, I get about 103" of forward travel. At 2700RPM going through the 3.73 :1 differential, this equates to 724 wheel rotations per minute. 724*103/12 = 6214 feet per minute, or about 71 mph.

Looks like I need to get my speedo checked!

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by Feedforward

Hmmm. Did some quick math. With each revolution of the tire, I get about 103" of forward travel. At 2700RPM going through the 3.73 :1 differential, this equates to 724 wheel rotations per minute. 724*103/12 = 6214 feet per minute, or about 71 mph.

Looks like I need to get my speedo checked!

The oversize tires may be affecting things. The original tire size would have been F78-15, with a radius of about 1.1 feet vs. the 1.375 feet of the tires you have now.

With a tire radius of 1.375 feet, a final drive of 3.73:1, and a fourth gear ratio of 1:1, the engine should be turning 2281 rpm at 60 mph, if my calculations are correct.

2800 rpm at 60 mph would make sense with the original F78-15 tire size.

At this point I'm wondering if the speedometer is right (or close enough), but the tachometer is wrong.

Otherwise, everything sounds really good, except for the fuel economy!

[Feedforward]

Got the new Toyota Highlander set up, and took a short shakedown drive with my 1968 20' GT behind. It towed great, plenty of power and good road manners at highiway speeds.

The Highlander has the factory tow package, which includes transmission cooler, larger radiator fan, and 2" receiver with 4 pin wire harness. I added a 7 blade wire harness and electric brake control to tow the Airstream.

The vehicle has a 270 hp, 248 ft lb, 6 cylinder and a 5000 pound TWR and 9780 GCWR. The 1968 GT is at about 3000 pounds dry. I'm using a Reese WD hitch with sway brake.