Scout Guy
I noticed a small error in the August Nuts & Bolts, the tech info provided for the Scout bumpsteer cure. You might want to pass it on to the author. Scouts don't have a short draglink as described. They have a full-length draglink that connects to the knuckle on the opposite (i.e., passenger) side. So the DL angle problem isn't as bad as it was made to sound.
However, that was good advice you offered for looking into the caster, which is a common problem with Scouts. A cut-and-turn of the yokes is the right way to fix this, as you said. But if the problem is not too bad (which depends on the lift), then steel shims are a much easier and cheaper fix. They can help anyway if caster is causing a squirrely front end.
I found that replacing my worn tie-rod ends and entire draglink with new heavy-duty pieces, and replacing the steering coupling with a Borgesen setup, made a huge improvement in how my lifted '78 Scout handles. The results were much more of an improvement than I expected to see. You might suggest this simple upgrade if the question comes up again.
Obviously, tighter steering linkage isn't a cure for bumpsteer, but it may eliminate problems that an owner is mistakenly blaming on bumpsteer.
Patrick
San Diego, CA
Good point, Patrick! Thanks for sharing your Scout expertise.
DED Engine
I thought somebody would have commented by now. I believe the engine in that abandoned '43 GPW on page 32 of your great "Supersonic DED" article (Oct. '10) is the rarely seen F-head Jeep six from the mid to late '50s. I last saw one in an FC longbed pickup about 20 years ago, if memory hasn't failed. I started working on rigs in 1958 and only retired this year. I remember those being a real bugger to adjust the exhaust valves. I still collect white elephants, like an AMC Eagle wagon and my "booney basher" '71 IHC 1200 TravelAll, well equipped for the desert but a work in progress. I'll send pics when I get a digital camera. Keep up the good work!
Gene Williams
Meadview, AZ
We figure you are right, especially after scouring many a book looking for that engine. If we ever get back and make it a DED Jeep, we'll let you come adjust the valves!