A Scout Terra II That's Wreckin' the Rocks on Leaf Springs and Old Tech

When you spot a ‘76 Scout II Terra pickup rolling down the trail, you know you’re looking at something special. Zade from IH Parts America built himself a proper wheeler that proves you don’t need the latest and greatest to tackle serious terrain. This Scout represents everything we love about building rigs - taking something classic and making it absolutely bulletproof for the rocks.

The heart of this Scout is the original 345 ci International Harvester engine, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s stock. Zade’s worked some serious magic under the hood with throttle body fuel injection, a small cam, and heavy porting work. Most wheelers would swap in an LS or Coyote, but keeping the 345 was actually genius. These IH engines produce massive low-end torque that just refuses to stall out, whether you’re crawling at half a mile per hour or ripping down the highway at 85.

Behind that torque monster sits an NV4500 5 speed with a custom input shaft machined specifically to mate with the IH engine. The real party trick happens after the transmission - a 2 speed Atlas transfer case with a 3.8:1 low range and twin stick shifters. Combined with 4.88 gears front and rear, this Scout achieves an incredible 85:1 crawl ratio that’ll walk up anything you point it at.

The axle setup shows some serious engineering creativity. Out back, Zade took a front Dana 60 from a ‘05+ Super Duty, cut the tubes, and flipped everything around to create a rear axle. The result keeps the OEM Dana Spicer 4.88 ring and pinion but adds an Eaton locker and Dutchman 35-spline shafts. Four years and countless beatings later, this frankenstein axle hasn’t missed a beat.

Up front, a narrowed heavy-duty 44 runs ‘79 F-150 outers with RCV axle shafts. Both ends get Eaton electronic lockers, so Zade can lock up with the flip of a switch when things get sketchy. The whole package rolls on 37" Milestar tires wrapped around 17" Trail Ready beadlocks, with onboard air to adjust pressure on the fly.

What makes this Scout truly shine is how it handles technical terrain. Most modern rigs run coilovers and long-travel suspension, but this Terra sticks with leaf springs - spring-over-axle leaf springs, no less. Before you laugh, consider that this setup has conquered Moab and the Rubicon multiple times. The low center of gravity and predictable flex characteristics work perfectly for rock crawling, even if they’re not the latest trend.

The Scout’s battle scars tell the story of a rig that actually gets used. Zade doesn’t baby this thing - he takes it on legitimate trails where body damage is just part of the experience.

The worst trail breakdown happened on the Rubicon when a steering arm sheared on the road after a successful weekend of wheeling. That’s the kind of failure that requires a trailer ride home, not a trail fix. But considering the abuse this Scout takes, one major breakdown in years of hard wheeling is pretty impressive reliability.

Looking at modifications, Zade’s proudest achievement is that rear Dana 60 conversion. After repeatedly twisting shafts in 44s, he wanted something bulletproof and unique. The OEM Dana Spicer ring and pinion is actually slightly larger than aftermarket alternatives, and the whole assembly has been maintenance-free for four years besides oil changes.

If he built this Scout again, the only change would be swapping the front leaf springs for Chevy 2.5" wide units to improve travel and durability. The current setup uses leaves from multiple spring packs to create a custom configuration that works but isn’t optimal. Sometimes the simple solution is the best solution.

Future plans include proper racing seats to replace the current Jeep YJ units and a small exo cage for added safety during articulation. The current seats don’t provide enough support or security when the Scout is twisted up on technical terrain.

This Scout isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. With current parts prices and availability, building something similar would cost significantly more than when Zade assembled this combination of salvaged and custom components. Sometimes the best rigs are the ones you build gradually with whatever parts you can find.

The advice from this build is refreshingly simple - start basic and actually wheel your rig. Throw some mud tires and a small lift on any four wheel-drive vehicle, weld the diff, and hit the trails.