Year one with a 77 Scout II off rubi, real cost of an old truck

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gina_scout_77OP

Restorer

Posts 748
Joined Jul 2018

Fort Worth TX

Nov 20, 2025 · 7:35 AM#1

since a couple people in the Bronco thread asked what an old truck really costs after the wire goes through, here are my numbers after a year with the Scout. 1977 International Scout II 4x4, 345 V8, 727 automatic, Dana 44s both ends, Dana 20 case, 48,500 showing on a five digit odometer so take that for what it is. i found it on rubiautosales.com in october of last year after losing two Scouts at the auctions in the spring, both went over 46 with premium and both had cut fenders and 33s.

the rubi listing was 38 and change. the truck was an older single stage repaint in the factory Tahitian Red, rust free rockers, and a rebuilt 345 that the paperwork said had about 12k miles on it. i asked what was wrong with it and they told me the power steering box was weeping and the carb was tired. i sent a guy from a Scout specialist shop a couple hours from the lot to go over it on a lift, 250, and he found the box, the carb, and one rear brake hose that was cracked at the crimp. floors, rockers and the tailgate were solid. that was it.

open trailer to fort worth was 780. the title came to texas clean in nine days, and texas wanted the truck inspected in person for the out of state title, which took a morning with it on a trailer.

here is the whole first year, about 2,800 miles of driving, most of it around town and one trip out to possum kingdom lake.

Fuel (2,800 miles, about 11 mpg on a good day)	$1,050
Holley 2210 carb rebuild, kit plus the shop doing it	$310
Rebuilt Saginaw power steering box, installed	$640
Brake hoses, all four, plus a fluid flush	$190
Tires, 31x10.50 KO2 on the original wheels	$1,120
Texas classic plates and a Hagerty agreed value policy	$610

that is the real year, about 3,900. the carb and the steering box were known before i paid and i took them off the price in my head. the brake hose i did not know about but 190 is nothing. against the 46 at auction plus premium on a truck with cut fenders, buying off rubi auto and paying for the inspection put me about 8 grand ahead before i turned a wrench.

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wes_body_shop

Shop Foreman

Posts 424
Joined Jul 2012

Bakersfield CA

Nov 20, 2025 · 6:10 PM#2

Bronco guy but i do Scouts when they come in. those numbers are what a 345 Scout costs to run. the box and the carb are not the truck failing, they are 48 year old parts doing what 48 year old parts do, and 310 for a carb rebuild at a shop is fair. one thing from experience, the 727 behind a 345 runs hot in texas traffic if the cooler is still the original one in the radiator tank. put a 150 dollar plate cooler on it before next summer and that trans will outlive both of us.

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hal_blazer_72

Weekend Wrench

Posts 1,318
Joined Sep 2019

Spokane WA

Nov 24, 2025 · 8:15 AM#3

a rust free Scout II with the rockers intact is a rare thing, most of them rotted out in the midwest in the 80s before anybody thought they were worth saving. 38 for one with a rebuilt 345 and honest paint is a good buy.

my K5 cost less to buy and more to own the first year, because i skipped the inspection and found the frame repair myself six months later. good on you for sending the shop guy out before the money moved. that 250 is the cheapest line on your whole page.

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dorothy_titles

Weekend Wrench

Posts 886
Joined Apr 2020

Salt Lake City UT

Dec 6, 2025 · 10:40 AM#4

nine days on the title is about what i see from a real dealer. the texas inspection on an out of state title is the step people forget to budget time for. they want the truck in front of them, a photo does not do it, so the trailer trip was the right call. for anybody reading, that is why the truck sits in the driveway with no plates for two weeks after it shows up. plan for it. the paperwork from the rubi people was clean on troys Bronco and it sounds like the same on yours, which is the difference between a dealer and a craigslist ad with a title "in hand."

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moose_fj40

Restorer

Posts 3,127
Joined Nov 2014

Anchorage AK

Dec 19, 2025 · 2:30 PM#5

11 mpg is generous for a 345, my 40 with the 2F does about the same and it is a smaller engine. the tire line is the one people forget. a set of 31s on 15 inch wheels is 1,100 anywhere in the country and every old 4x4 needs them the year you buy it, because the seller's tires are always twelve years old with good tread. the numbers look like an honest truck to me.

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gina_scout_77OP

Restorer

Posts 748
Joined Jul 2018

Fort Worth TX

Apr 18, 2026 · 9:20 AM#6

UPDATE four more months and about 900 miles. wes, i put the plate cooler on in february, 160 with the lines, and it ran the whole possum kingdom trip in april without the trans getting past warm. nothing else broke. the carb rebuild has held and the box is dry.

for anyone still shopping, that is the story of a 77 Scout off those rubi folks in one line. pay for the lift inspection and budget 4 grand for the first year, then drive it. i would do it again tomorrow.