From Deer Stand to Show Stopping SUV – a 1965 IH Scout 80 is Rescued and Revived
In the world of hot rodding, there are plenty of stories about cars and trucks being dragged out of fields and woods. It was common for a farmer simply to tow their latest non-running vehicle out to a field and leave it to languish, yet still be available to scavenge parts. The story of Robert and Jennifer Sizenbach’s ’65 Scout 80 adds a new twist – when they found the vintage International, it was being used as a deer stand for hunting!
The little Scout, actually a special Red Carpet edition, was painted green with a roller and house paint, had no interior, and had a huge hole carved into the original hard top. The couple wanted to save the early SUV, so they dragged it over to Bob Griffin and the team at Hard Body Customs in Wolfforth, Texas. The plan was to build the Scout into a reliable, modern 4×4 with the vintage Scout personality. Mission accomplished.
IH made a pretty stout chassis for the Scout, so HBC decided to retain the beefy frame and went about stripping, rebuilding, and upgrading where possible. A serious lift was added with heavy duty leaf springs and polyurethane bushings. Two Dana 44 axles from an ’89 Jeep were mounted and capped with four-wheel discs from CPP followed by 17-inch Method wheels wrapped with grizzly Nitto Gripper LT305 tires.
To power the Scout across those long Texas trails, a Chevrolet Performance 5.3-liter LS engine was chosen. The engine is cooled with a Champion radiator and exhales through a custom exhaust with Borla mufflers. A 4L60E transmissions provides an overdrive and is coupled to an NP241 transfer case to make the switch to four-wheel drive operation.
The factory sheet metal was retained, cleaned up, and smoothed considerably. HBC worked over the fender openings, added tailgate latches, and fabricated the custom engine bay panels. Once deemed ready, a layer of GM’s factory Some Kind of Blue, by AkzoNobel-Lesonal, was sprayed to perfection.
Unlike the factory utilitarian interiors of the day, the Sizenbach’s Scout was upgraded to modern SUV standards. Mario’s Trim Shop wrapped the stock dash and seats in leather while the HBC team installed Eva marine flooring. The stock gauges were rebuilt and a JL Audio system with a back-up camera was added. Behind the scenes is an American Autowire harness, Vintage Air, an Ididit column, and Grant wheel, and everything is covered by a custom soft top that can easily be removed for some topless trail running.
Thanks to the Sizenbachs’ vision and the talented crew at HBC, this 59-year old Scout has a new lease on life and is ready for some serious trails ahead!
Photos by Damon Lee
