The International Scout II + Jerry Boone
In 1977 Jerry Boone drove his still-new International Super Scout II to a class win in the brutal Baja 1000 desert race. He wasn’t even factory sponsored at the time, but his win put the Scout II firmly on the map for 4×4 racers and enthusiasts across the USA.
From the next year on, Boone would be an official International Harvester sponsored driver, alongside fellow racing legend Frank Howarth.
The International Scout II Traveler was built in the same year as Jerry Boone’s Baja 1000 class winner, 1977. Unlike Boone’s stripped-down racer though, this one has been comprehensively rebuilt to be an exceptionally well-equipped adventure rig for two.
The 1977 International Scout II Traveler Shown Here
Restomods like this are becoming increasingly popular as they combine the much loved styling of their era, combined with modern power levels and reliability.
This Scout II has been through a full nut-and-bolt rebuild, followed by the fitment of a new engine, transmission, brakes, suspension, and an array of new parts.
Engine
Under the hood you’ll find a modern General Motors 6.0L Vortec 6000 V8, producing 300+ hp and 360+ ft-lbs of torque. This is the engine used by GM in many of their trucks, over the years it’s appeared in the Cadillac Escalade, the Chevrolet Avalanche, the Silverado, the Suburban, the GMC Savana, Sierra, and Yukon, Hummer H2, and the Pontiac G8 passenger car. The popularity of the engine means parts availability is high, and just about every mechanic in North America can work on it blindfolded.
The Vortec 6000 V8 has an iron block with aluminium heads, and unusually for an OHV engine it has variable valve timing, sequential fuel injection, and Advanced Electronic Throttle Control.
Transmission and Transfer Case
Bolted to the back of the engine is a GM 4L60-E automatic 4-speed transmission that sends power to a Dana 300 cast iron transfer case – the Dana 300 is rated as the gold standard by many 4×4 enthusiasts and it’s known for being compact, light, durable, simple to maintain and capable of handling significant power outputs. It has twin modes (2×2 and 4×4) and dual ranges (high and low) – the high range is a direct drive (1:1) and the low range is a 2.62:1 ratio.
Interior and Body
The interior has been kept largely original, though the addition of power steering means the steering wheel is notably smaller than the original. The front bench seat has room for 3 adults, and the long rear section will provide ample headroom should you decide to throw a mattress in there for camping.
There are spotlights on either side of the A-pillars with handles for control, and a bull bar up front fitted with an LED light bar, and a heavy duty winch. At the rear there are twin swing outs to hold a spare tire and jerry cans of spare fuel, they also have drop down table tops for food preparation. Underneath there’s a large bash plate for those departure angle scrapes.
Up top there’s a roof rack for additional supplies and luggage, pre-fitted with a shovel and a pull out awning on the righthand side. The tires are chunky Falken Wildpeak M/T, these have built-in proprietary three-ply “DURASPEC™ Sidewall Technology”.
Get It
If you’d like to read more about this Scout II or register to bid on it, you can click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s. It’s due to be auctioned in Arizona on the 18th and 19th of January, there’s no reserve on this vehicle, and it’s estimated to be worth between $70,000 and $90,000 USD.
All Images Patrick Ernzen © RM Sotheby’s 2017
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
