Whenever I stumble across helpful information, I try to save it someplace locally, due to the ever-shifting nature of the internet. I’ve reprinted good information here and link-attributed it wherever applicable; if anyone has an issue with this policy, please feel free to contact me.
How to remove windows from the doorframe:
Take the inner door skins off, remove the bolt which holds the wing window frame (it’s behind the chrome button below the wing window). At the front of the door there are 2 holes. Using a 1/4 drive rachet set remove the 2 bolts – be careful not to let them drop, then lift the wing window frame out of the door, then wind down the glass and remove the 2 clips on the mechanisim at the glass, and lift out the glass. You may have to remove the wind seal rubbers at the top of the door to get it to clear. [link to thread] [link to illustrated guide]
Windshield Frame Removal:
On a Scout II, there are the 4 screws in the top that go into the roof. Then, there are four bolts behind the upper door hinges that come out. Then, there are two bolts that are above the upper door hinges, that thread vertically into the height adjustment for the w/s frame. Disconnect the wiper motor plug by the heater assembly, push the connection through the grommet. Then, open the doors and kick the top of the w/s frame backwards towards the cab area. It should go. If not, a prybar between the roof and the top of the frame will work to help seperate it. Once you get the w/s frame backwards a little bit at about a 30 degree angle, lift it straight up and it will come out easily. [link to thread]
Applying Herculiner (in kit format)
Dashboard lighting:
161, 14V, 1 cp/13 lumens, 4000 hrs
194, 14V, 2 cp/25 lumens, 2500 hrs
168, 14V, 3 cp/38 lumens, 1500 hrs –this is the stock bulb
3652, 13.5V, 6 cp/75 lumens, 700 hrs [link]
LED replacement lights – Amazon search
Basic Wiring Info:
The green wires are the ones for the dome light. The marker, running, and license plate lights are all the same circuit. Then you have the backup lights, L turn/brake, R turn/brake, and the fuel sender.
If you have the stubs of the OE wire connected to the bulkhead connector the cir numbers are as follows. #36 fuel level, #56 L turn/brake, #57 R turn/brake #68 tail #71 back up. The #’s are printed on the wire near the connector in white. [link]
IH used color coding for their wiring:
green: 18ga
black: 16ga
white: 14ga
red: 12ga
blue: 10ga.
How to remove the wiper switch (newer knob style):
If it’s the older metal knob, there should be a set screw that locks it on. If it’s the newer style plastic knob, I think there is a small metal spring clip inside that locks the knob to the shaft. I think you have to pry the clip up slightly to remove the knob without breaking it. I’m not sure through, because the wiper knob on my 1980 Scout was all ready broken and would fall off by itself. [link]
[note:] I used a paint opener to access the spring-clip on mine.
How to remove the headlight switch:
Pull the knob all the way out as if you’re turning on the lights. There’s a small springloaded button on the underside of the switch housing behind the dash. Push the button in, and the knob will come out with the shaft attached. Use a flat-bladed screwdriver to spin the retaining collar on the front of the dash; the switch will come out after that.
AC Delco P/N D1590
How to test the gas gauge before dropping the tank:
“Disconnect the battery and pull the fuel/amp cluster from the dash, don’t disconnect the plug just pull it out far enough to tighten the nuts, you will usually find them finger tight. Re-attach to the dash and see if it works.
If that doesn’t fix it the best way to test is to go to your local Radio Shack and get a pack of 10 and 33 ohm resistors. There is a disconnect at the rt rear of the truck for the wire leading to the sender. Disconnect that and connect a 10 ohm resistor to the harness side wire and a good clean ground. With that connected the gauge should read at the “F” +/- a needle width. Connect a 33 and 4 10 ohm resistors in series and connect those to the wire and ground that should make the gauge read “E” +/- a needle width. That will test the gauge and all the wiring.
If it fails the test there, you can test at the back of the gauge. The terminal on the rt side of the gauge is the one that goes to the sender. You need to be very careful testing there, because the wires that connect to the ammeter are always hot if the battery is connected.
While you are in there I recommend replacing the stamped steel nuts with brass ones. It is one of the first things I do when I get another IH. They are 10-32. I never disconnect the plug from the circuit board as the pins on the circuit board are somewhat fragile and can come out of the board when you disconnect the plug. Those pins being loose can also be a cause of the gauge not working.”
If a pin is damaged soldering is a good idea but that can be difficult some times. The other option for some of the connections is to use a ring terminal under the stud and splice that to it’s respective wire, by-passing the pins and connector. It is also important to note to only disconnect one nut on a gauge at a time to prevent it from moving around in the housing. The only insulation is a piece of cardboard, move the gauge out of center and the stud can short out on the housing.
[link]
[note:] I found this picture online.
Reconditioning the wiper bottle motor (if it isn’t rusted to oblivion like mine):
“The motor proved to have a small impeller, brass insert, and rubber seal complete with 2 O-rings on the motor shaft. One O-ring is the same diameter as the rubber seal, the other is much smaller, not much bigger than the motor shaft. The rubber seal is about 1/2 inch wide or so, and the underside (motor side) appeared to have been originally packed with grease; all that was left was some dried-up yellow spots. I removed all the components from the motor shaft.
Using a pliers and gentle force I was able to start the motor shaft turning. A few drops of water came out of a drain hole in the front cap of the motor. Within a few moments the shaft was turning somewhat freely, so I again used a battery charger to power up the motor. This time the motor spun up, and after about 30 – 45 seconds it was running smoothly.
I packed the motor side of the rubber seal with white lithium grease and reasembled the components on the motor shaft. Since I did not have rivits to re-attach the motor to the washer bottle, I used 6-32 bolts and nuts instead. 2 different lenghts are needed; the short one is about 3/4 inch and the long one is about an inch long. Using these nuts and bolts I reattached the motor to the wash bottle.
When reinstalling the wash bottle in the Scout keep in mind that 3 of the 4 bolts go into plastic inserts; the ground wire must be on the bolt (lower right as viewed from the driver’s side) that screws into the metal inner fender.” [link to thread]
Tracing Down Electrical Shorts: Disconnect both battery cables. Put your battery on a slow= trickle charge for several days if necessary to restore a full charge. Then connect your positive cable to the battery only. Leave the negative to dangle. Take a simple 12 volt incandescent light with alligator clip on one end and a probe on the other. Ensure that all switches, fans, radios, lights etc are turned OFF. Clip the alligator clip to the loose negative cable and stick the probe end to your negative battery terminal. Bet it lights up brighter than Christmas, don’t it? Praise be! Now, reach up under your dash and remove just one fuse from the panel, then redo the battree probe. Lather, rinse, repeat one fuse at a time until you find the one what makes the test light stay dark. You’ve just isolated your problem circuit. Link to thread
Jim Harkins says:
Thanks for doing this ,it help greatly on that light switch,
Phil says:
What size bolts are used to hold the top on a 1979 scout 2? Im looking everywhere but no sites explain
bill says:
Hey Phil, I don’t know exactly what size they are but I can do a little digging to find out.
Mark G. says:
Thanks! I appreciate all the vital info.
Michael Van Dalen says:
Ever had to adjust the doors of your scout? Bought a 73′ and whomever assembled the truck after paint used random nuts and bolts. The bottom hinge, bottom bolt isn’t matching nor serving purpose. It just spins never tightening. Any idea what size bolt? Or recommendations to getting the door right? Thank you!
bill says:
Hi Michael—
I have adjusted the doors, and it wasn’t easy. Mine came with the correct bolts in place, but if you call Super Scout Specialists they’ll have the ones you need. My door was sagging and the panel gap was tight on the bottom, so I propped up my door with some jackstands and loosened the bottom set of bolts, shimmed it, and then re-tightened. One or two adjustments and I had a better fit. If your body mounts are bad you’re going to need to get those fixed first, because body sag will make any adjustments you do useless. Good luck!
Tim Norman says:
Trying to remove the window on the drivers side. I got the clips removed at the bottom of the window and when I try to remove the window it won’t move past the felts. Is there a trick to it? Can I remove the felts somehow? Or do I just man handle it pass the felts? Your information is the best I’ve seen but I am at a road block. Your help would be greatly appreciated. My goal her is to replace the door latch itself. The old one we can’t seem to lock. Once the door is locked you can unlock it by just pushing the button on the outside handle. Your expertise would be greatly appreciated
bill says:
Hi Tim—
My felts were/are in such lousy shape, I just manhandled the window past them. I think they are held in with metal clips that are a pain to get in and out. I do know you can buy new felts from the Light Line dealers (Super Scout, IH Parts America, etc.) and install them if you’ve wrecked your felts, but they can be pricy. What you might do is have someone help with some thin, flat squares of plastic (I’m thinking of the disposable paddles you get when you buy Bondo) to place in between the window and the felt channel, and as you crank/push it up, push the felt outwards to get the window out.
Before you pull the whole mechanism out make sure the two linkages to the lock and the handle pull are connected correctly and clipped in place—I’d hate for you to pull your door apart to find you didn’t need to do so. Also go easy on the door channel itself; the lower C-shaped clip broke off mine when I jimmied it too hard—the rivets let go under the strain. Good luck!
Tim says:
I just purchased a ’76 Scout II and I am very early in a restoration. Wiring is an issue on this vehicle. The brake lights currently do not work. The wire to the fuse block is connected; however the other brake switch wire is not connected to anything and I can’t find a female match anywhere under the dash. Where does this wire connect? Any help would be appreciated.
bill says:
Hi Tim—
Wow, that could be anything, honestly. It’s hard to say where the female match is/was because it probably got boogered up by the previous owner somewhere under the dash. There’s an old IH joke/saying, “Did you check the green wire?” because the entire loom is green, with nothing but little white numbers at the ends that are probably worn off by now.
My advice is to pick up a Service Manual from Super Scout Specialists or another Light Line dealer, where you’ll find all of the wiring diagrams for under the dash. The trick is going to be chasing the wires back to their origin so you know which one is which. I’m considering a complete rewire job but right now all my lights are working and I don’t want to break what doesn’t need to be fixed.
james says:
hello
thank you for you detailed listing. you are a god send
2 questions please..
i have an 1980 scout 2 and doing and ls conversion with
97 astro van hyrdo booster and i want to do the an fittings
i learned here that i can replace the brass fitting with a Thread Fitting, 6AN x 5/16-24 O Ring Spittier/Return Port Connect Tube Hose Fitting Adapter Fit for Ford Hydroboost
IS THAT CORRECT ?
and the other question please
what are the other 2 fitting sizes that screw into the hydro booster that i need to to to an ?
thank you so very much
james
bill says:
Hi James,
Have you checked on the different forums for parts lists? I know info is spread out all over the place; the main home for Scout II info was here.
Unfortunately all of the pictures he posted got munched when they migrated the site to the new URL. The info I have is here.
The main source for the washers is here:
Lee Manufacturing – 661-568-9170
PH 818-768-0371
Pressure 40620 $3.97
Return 40630 $3.97
You can also get the washers from Summit here:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/brg-925122
Finally, someone updated the JustIH thread with some parts numbers at the end here.
Good luck!
bd.
JonP says:
Any ideas for what can be used to fasten the outer hinge together on the wing vent window?
Thank you!
bill says:
Hi Jon—are you having a problem with the hinge pin or the hinge itself coming unwelded from the frame? One of my spares has the latter—the metal tab needs to be rewelded to the frame.
Jon says:
Thanks Bill, I’m looking for a hinge pin.
bill says:
Jon, I’d check with any of the Light Line dealers to see what they recommend. I’m cheap and handy so my solution would be to fabricate something myself, but it could be that Super Scouts or someone else has a repair kit already available—I don’t think you’re the first person with this problem, although usually the issues are with the spring bar underneath breaking or the latch falling apart.