What? We Don't Show Enough Scouts?

Dooley Pula's Internation...        read full caption Dooley Pula's International.

Underhood features consist...        read full caption Underhood features consist of a 345 V-8, a wide-ratio T19 tranny, dual transfer cases in the form of a Scout Dana 20 and a Dodge divorced NP205, and a Wagoneer steering box. The tilt front end houses custom bumpers and a Warn 12,000-pound winch. Most of the parts are from a junkyard.

The mint Scout gets its height...        read full caption The mint Scout gets its height from a custom 3-inch body lift and Chevy springs that articulate a Dana 44 front axle. Even more riveting are the pivoting front shackles. The 35-inch Boggers aggressively demand your attention with an almost teeth-baring growl. Check out the flex between the front and rear axles.

“If you’re like...        read full caption “If you’re like me you’ll wait until the night before a big run to decide to bolt in leaf springs, install a winch, and fabricate all the necessary brackets,” Dooley says. “You’re going to run into cans of worms; just open them and let them out.” As you can tell by the photo, the Dooley-designed “whacky-shackles” have an on-trail-fix “limiting strap” because the custom shackles were getting too much flex.

What fender-cutting fun! While...        read full caption What fender-cutting fun! While Dooley claims that the project in general has not been easy, the fender cutting seemed to be the most enjoyable. Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor would grunt at this kind of turkey carving undertaking because it includes flying shrapnel and power tools.

The Scout offers luxurious...        read full caption The Scout offers luxurious (OK, just roomy) storage space under both of the front seats in which Dooley stores extra hoses, an impact, and spare parts. Not only are the seats in great condition but their functionality is worth every square inch, especially in tipsy or vertical situations.

A fullsize rear Dana 60 houses...        read full caption A fullsize rear Dana 60 houses 4.10 gears and a Detroit Locker. The Chevy spring packs are mounted with rear scissor shackles, while the tail end features custom heavy-duty black bumpers and a tow shackle. Kiss the axle? Don’t mind if we do.

“Bring spare parts for...        read full caption “Bring spare parts for everything that moves,” says Dooley. He popped a bead not once but twice on his way to Panamint City. Here he puts into practice some on-trail repairs. Notice the compressor mounted to the rear bumper. It is easily accessible in tight situations.

hinking of minting a Scout? No? Well, Dooley Pula of La Mesa, California, has a ’62 International Scout that will make you want to build one. Capable in intensely off-roadish situations, Dooley’s Scout has rock stamping as money making down to such a science that he could create his own coin mint. Capitalizing on the Scout’s larger-than-Jeep but smaller-than-fullsize dimensions, this Scout was able to traverse one of the notoriously narrow trails—Panamint Valley’s Surprise Canyon.

Cashin’ in on 4x4 power, the Scout engages a stock exchange ’76 IH V-8 engine with a 345 displacement, headers, and dual alternators. The 345 is backed by a ’75 T19 tranny and a ’75 Dana 20 case with a divorced NP205 to create a poor man’s dual T-case setup. A wealth of suspension modifications makes the vehicle capable and flexible. A spring-over with Chevy springs articulates the Dana 44 front axle. An additional 3 inches of body lift allow the Scout to spaciously stuff 35-inch Boggers. The key suspension modifications include scissor shackles in the rear and pivoting front shackles. All of these modifications would make stock market traders stop their sign-language lingo to watch it crawl up the rocks. You might think that you would have to be a lucky Vegas gambler to put together a project like this, but the kicker is that Dooley picked up the ’68 for $400. Of course that does not include any technical finesse or innumerable and costly parts and additions that might kill most of our pocket books.

Dooley’s project Scout has been on the road for about seven years, and he says that you should “be prepared to spent a lot more money than you figured, and you can’t put a time limit on it [the project].” He continues to make modifications on the Scout and test those mods on extreme trails. What that means is that although Dooley’s Scout is the color of money, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be waving goodbye to excessive amounts of yours if you wanted to build something like it. However, he says, “You’re going to spent a lot of time in the garage. So live near a taco shop, and be patient, especially with the complaining neighbors.”