Build 1963 International Scout 80

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new rear axle under the truck and mock up tires are on. this should be the ride height, but i still have some tinkering to do on it.
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First try scout frame model.webp
So what happens when you have a Mechanical Engineer buddy with too much free time on his hands and a copy of solidworks???
 
Some additional tweaks have to be made along with getting a copy of the correct axles generated. However this gets the suspension design off and running. Plus, it looks cool as heck!
 
Just got the PS box I'm going to use. It's from a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

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The Scout mounts the steering box on the inside of the frame. The long sector shaft makes a drop pittman not as necessary. This one should work out perfectly!!
 
Pitman arm - points forward or backward? I'll want to know exactly what direction it points with respect to the input shaft at the middle of its range of motion to get the frame end of the track bar located right where it needs to be. A picture would help too.
 
Pittman arm points backwards. Here is a pic of someone else's instal. They went to a flat pittman arm, and I'm not a fan of thei mounting (it could be a lot cleaner) but you get the idea.
This is on a Scout 800, so my front crossmember should be further away from the end of the bumper. The 800's moved that crossmember forward to accommodate the V8.
I'm betting that the track bar will be better suited behind the axle instead of in front of it. Although, with the conventional low steering design of the cruiser axles (low steering seems to be a lot easier on knuckle studs) it may not make a lick of difference.

I'll get some measurements tomorrow on where the crossmember actually is.


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Looking at the model again - it would be really good to know exactly where that front crossmember is. You want both your steering box and the track bar to be located as close to that crossmember as possible. There's an awful lot of stress put into the frame by the steering box and the track bar. Can you get me crossmember location, dimensions, and maybe some pics? Your trackbar locations will be driven more by the crossmember location than anything else. Likewise, your steering box location will be driven more by the trackbar location than anything else. Then, as I'm sure you're well aware, the drag link needs to reflect both the length and the angle of the track bar. So, the track bar is extremely important.
 
I'll get measurements tomorrow morning. thanks Tommy!
 
Reading into this a bit (I've never bothered with calculating suspension dynamics on a leaf sprung truck).
Based on this image.
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It really should not matter if the axle is in SO/SU (as long as the springs are altered so that the axle remains in the same place in relation to the frame and the spring/shackle hangers). Right?

I was planning on doing the steering box first, then making the trackbar mimic that location as much as possible. Fromt he looks of things, it should not be complicated to make the trackbar fit inside of the steering box, on that front crossmember. The stock crossmember is fairly robust and very wide..
 
Okay, here is the front end. The steering is overly high because the oil pan on the motor is pushing the pinion angle down.

Tommy, the crossmember is 12.25" from the end of the frame and is 7.25" thick. It's fully boxed and one heck of a support.
The center of the steering box "Should" be about 8.5" from the end of the frame.
The Axle is going to be about 24" from the end of the frame as well.

The steering box itself is tapped. My current plan is to weld up the holes in the stock box mount, and then drill new ones for the Jeep box. I do plan on boxing in the top of the stock mount, and quasi boxing in the bottom. Basically make a full plate to cap the bottom, but cut out enough area in the middle to get the bolts in and out of the steering box.


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So I was planning on going with one of the Ruff stuff Panhard bar kits.
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However, it may end up being easier just fabbing the mounts myself, considering how close we want the panhard bar to be to the steering rods in length and angle.

Also, the axle end of the panhard may have to argue a bit with the mount for the radius arms. Not a huge deal, but something to think about.

Tommy, I think you have the radius arms angled outwards. I do not believe that they are that way from the factory on a 80 series axle. They should run straight forward from the frame to the axle. The toyota pumpkin is probably less offset than the Dana one you have modeled..

Also, these are the upper coilover mounts I'm going to use. If you want them for the model.
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/STOWER975.html
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Update. I now have the drivetrain 4.3/700R4/np203/LC split tcase and axles.
Gonna be mocking up the motor/drivetrain in the near future for fittment. Once everything has been positioned, it'll be on for a TON of dirty hand work.

I also picked up an old warn Belleview winch. I'm hoping to be able to mount the winch inside of the grill. But that'll depend on where the grill ends up. I picked up the belleview because it's a neat vintage match for the truck. If it's not that user friendly, then I'm not sure what I'll do. The front bumper on the scout is really low profile. Making it stick out another foot in front of the truck does not appeal to me that much..
 
hmm...I have a spare 4.3 block assembly I'm tired of looking at...cause you need a spare ;)

The Bellevue is a beast...and no means of trimming it down either...betting you'll be picking up a different winch for it.
 
You're probably right. I'm pretty sure that it'll find a good home in Texas if I can't use it. I doubt that Ethan will ever need a winch anyway ;)

As for the spare 4.3. You know me and collecting things ;)
 
Hmm, the smitibilt winch seems to fit okay. Now I just need to get my hands on it to see how wide the belleview actually is. That'll be the determining factor.
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The bellevue will be narrower...but the height is the killer...it's simply a tall beast of a winch.
 
I had one of these it was my first 4x4. It had posi front and rear, man I had fun with it, back in the late 60's, before the trail police got out of control.
 
hey are you keeping the doors cause if not i would love to have the sliding window frames
 
Santa is being good this year. I think I may have all the parts to make the truck a roller again!!!
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Ruff stuff 9" Coilover mounts and rear spring hangers, and some custom made frame side leaf spring mounts :)

Now, off to spec out some 80 Series Radius arm mounts! :)
 
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