What my Scout has now:

• 304V8 w/ 63k miles
• Stock bench seat up front w/ shot springs
• 3spd that needs replaced
• Dana 20
• Dana 30 front end, 3.73, shot drum brakes
• Dana 44 rear, 3.73, needs drums turned
• Manual steering and manual brakes
• Giddum Up Scout 4-point repro factory truck (roll) bar
• Of course, a few stereo components and a CB and such..

Sitting in my garage, waiting for my Scout:

• Close ratio T19 4spd
• Extra Dana 20
• Dana 44 3.73 front axle w/ AUTOMATIC hubs
• Power brake booster, disc/drum master cylinder, and proportioning valve
• Power Steering box and pump
• Smittybilt Front Roll Cage Kit
• New Dash and dash pad (needed the pad, extra dash is just extra)
• Twin Stick shifters from a Dana 18
• Stock Scout II bucket seat bases - I'm told Ranger seats are a good idea

• SSII Mirrors
• A/C pump mounting bracket
• Left and right front body mounts
• Lock-rite locker for the rear end
• New RS5000 shocks
• New front driveline & CV Yoke for the t'case
• 4" Superlift springs
• 33 gallon fuel tank(?)
• Stereo components.. heh

Now that we have the stage set.. here's my plan:

1. Finish cleaning up the T19/D20 in the garage, then tear down the Dana 20.
2. Remove the shift rods, have a professional weld 'em up and notch for the Dana 18 shifters
3. re-assemble the Dana 20 with the new twin-sticks
4. Get my Scout back from the @$$hole body shop man..
5. Tow the Scout to a local welder, for the reverse shackle fabrication
6. Welder will also add second shock mount brackets to the front frame, possibly modify the existing U-bolt plates, or fab the "reduced ground clearance" plates with a second set of bolt holes for the extra shocks
7. Probably have to bolt the stock springs onto the reverse shackle before towing home
8. Get the Scout home, remove the front springs
9. Trade my springs for a set of 4" Superlift springs
10. While I wait for the springs to show up:
• Drop the T15 and Dana 20, replace with the T19 and twin-stick'd Dana 20
• Remove rear axle, do a brake job on it, drag it to the welder to have the perches relocated to the top
• If I have some cash, I'll also put the Lockrite in at this point
• Note that the welder will also be adding shock mounts to the axle tube, and I'll have to drill holes in the rear cross member for an extra set of shocks (plan to run double shocks all around)
11. While waiting, or after the springs show up, whichever, I'll remove the front and rear bench seats, and start peeling back the IH sound deadener / rubber mat / rust helper material. Gut the floor.
12. Remove the roll bar with the flooring
13. With the flooring removed, I'll get out the sander or sand blaster, and clean it up. Use a grinder or torch to remove the rotted floor (front cab mount areas) one side at a time.
14. Remove front body mount, rent/borrow a good DC arc-welder and put the new mounts in place
15. Weld in some sheet steel for the new floor.. not sure what thickness yet. Section it into the fender areas. It doesn't have to look pretty.
16. Weld up the driver's side roll-bar mount holes (I didn't put the bar in all the way to the edge of the body the first time)
17. Cut the holes and fit some 3.5" mid-range speakers into the kick-panel area while I'm in there. Probably not leave the speakers in there yet
18. With the body tub cleaned up and washed out, apply one coat of Durabak roll-on or spray-on Bedliner material (around $200 total for the whole tub)
19. After one coat is down, I'll run a conduit or two for speaker wires and electrical connections and such. Run it along the tranny housing, or along the door step ledge areas.
20. Lay the second coat of Durabak over the conduits to embed them inside the flooring material (be sure to be able to re-run more wire through the conduits if necessary)
21. With the tub lined and cured, I'll then re-install the roll bar with new driver's side holes where they need to be.
22. Hopefully I'll have the new springs by then, and I can bolt up the new front suspension, and fit the Dana 44 to it. At this point, I'll measure the angle needed for the front pinion (CV driveshaft), and *maybe* do my suspension flex tests, to see how long the shocks need to be.
23. With the shock travel measured and the knuckle twisting degrees calculated, I'll then tear the Dana 44 down to a bare housing.
24. Order at least one set of 4 shocks (buy the extra 4 later?)
25. With the '44 disassembled, I'll take the housing to a welder to have the knuckles turned the appropriate amount, and shims installed to get 4 degrees of caster
26. Bring the axle home, re-install the guts (needs new ball joints though) and maybe do the Lock-rite
27. While the axle is away, I'll fit the front legs of my Smittybilt Roll Cage Kit (SC88) to the tub and the 4-point rollbar. Cut the down tubes to fit, weld a large plate to the bottom of the legs, and weld the front half of my roll cage into place.
28. Remove the rollcage from the truck for full welding, then paint the cage, and apply Durabak to the lower.. oh, 6 inches of the roll cage legs.
29. Re-install the roll cage into the Scout's tub, making sure the front leg mounting flange goes right over the front body mount bolt
30. Install the front axle into the Scout, and make more measurements by articulating the front axle to determine my driveshaft at-rest, max droop, max compression lengths. Then order the new $185 driveshaft and the CV yoke for the Dana 20
31. NOTE: I may opt to lower my front spring towers *if* my truck seems unduly front-high. I'll be keeping in mind a winch at some point so..
32. I'll order a new CV style rear driveshaft and pointing the rear pinion at the t'case.
33. At this point, most of the work will be done.
34. I'll need to swap in the power brake booster, master cylinder, and proportioning valve from my parts pile, and probably swap in the power steering unit I have as well.
35. I'll be reinforcing the frame at the steering box.. maybe do a StrateSteer while I'm in there.
36. I'll also be looking for longer brake lines once I find out how long I need. This may also mean I'll switch to FORD brake calipers up front if I can save some money on the brake lines (FORD calipers are the same as the Scout II calipers, with a different fitting.. calipers are both cheap ($18), but the Scout II brake lines are rumored to be pricey vs. Ford parts)

Whew. Lots of work, eh? And that's not counting the other projects.. on board air, on-board welder (for BOTH Scouts), the roll cage for the '77, and.. I'll have a whole 'nother "Plan" for the stereo in the '72, along with a car alarm.

Tell me if I've overlooked something!

-Tom
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