4x4 Chinook / International Harvester Scout / Expedition 4x4 Camper

[The Fleckster]

Hello everyone,

My name is John and I am know as a Car / 4x4 / fabrication guy to most of my friends. I thought i would join and post up my build up here as this board has some good knowledge people that i would like their thoughts about my project on, and figured you would appreciate the project. First off this is my first Toyota i have ever owned and I have owned and worked on allot of vehicles over the years. To give you some background i started a International Harvester 4x4 shop back in 1998 while attending Washington State University for Business. Since then i have moved back to Western washington and been doing that ever since. I will be posting some pictures on here and asking questions along the way, however i have my own forum and website where the project is currentley posted. I dont want to repost everything as thats a ton of work in itself. ALSO FILE SIZE IS LIMITED AND SOME OF MY PICS ARE BIGGER THAN ALLOWED. So if you want you are more than welcome to follow the link and subscribe to get all the posts and details.

John's International Scout / Toyota Chinook Camper / Expidition 4x4

I have been wanting a California 4-wheel pop up brand Scout Camper for my Ih Scout Traveler model for some time now. I have found a few but the timing was not right (however if you know of one for sale please contact me). In addition they are square and not all that attractive. Recently I have been pondering other alternatives and come across what i think will be a pretty functional and cool way to achieve my goal.

What is my goal you ask? Well i want a rig that i can 4 wheel in, but also camp out of on short and extended vacations to rivers, mountains, deserts, Lakes, and anything mother nature has to offer us for fishing, hunting, summer trail rides, concert events, Rokon Romp events, and even tailgating. The rig must get good to decent MPG and have good overall driving characteristics. The uses are endless and I know that is a broad scope, but one I think pretty achievable.

So here are some starter pics. When the rig arrived at my shop it was dirty. I was glad it was out in the open and not under a tree or it could have been worse. I started by washing it up and cleaning it. It cleaned up after 3+ hours of cleaning and scrubbing. Man my arms are sore.

Interior: It was a base model with just an icebox so the nice thing is there are no doors on the side and i can build it out without having to glass in the holes if i want to relocate the items that need ventilation. However i am thinking i will vent them in a more creative way if possible so I don't have to cut up and install access doors from the outside.

The stove you see in the first picture was added on, and is powered by a small "green" propane can underneath. The little ones you buy at the store. The icebox was removed by the previous owner as well. There is a small water pump faucet and a bigger one for when you have it hooked to a hose from outside. The bed platform was removed and all that was given to me when i got the Toyota Hilux Chinook was the mattress pads.

Edited October 22, 2012 by The Fleckster

[The Fleckster]

Its funny how most older campers always have one of these weather stations. Anyway thats all the pics and progress for now. The next step will be choosing the International to graft this onto. My current choices are a 1961-1965 Scout 80 or 1966-1971 Scout 800, 1972-1980 Scout 2, or 1976-1980 Scout Traveler.

I looked at moding it onto a IH Travelette (crewcab pickup) or a C-series Travelall cut off behind the second door but it would be just too big for what my goals are of a rig that can do some harder trails. Also they are too wide. The Scouts are narrower and more maneuverable. Plus they have the box frame and great running gear to start with.

I am working on measurements but it looks almost perfect to put on the Scout Traveler 118" wheelbase model.

I just came across another one. Its a 1976 Chinook camper and i might as well buy in case i need parts or want to do another of these down the road.

What are your thoughts so far? I am open to all kinds of advice and perspectives and appreciate your thoughts on the matter. Thanks for letting me join your board.

[bajadulce]

John, you got a lot of cars to choose from to put this on!

I'm not too familiar w/ Scouts. How wide are they? One thing that always looked a little odd about Chinooks is the back single wheels seemed very tucked in the body. The body just looks a bit too wide for the truck. I've seen a Chinook mounted on a Tundra (Full size/width truck) and it looks a lot better to me at least. Probably a lot of toy motorhomes would fit better on full size trucks for that matter. Maybe scouts are wider than typical pickup as well?

Since you're going to be putting this shell on a truck with an unmolested cab, you might look into modifying the shell a bit! Popups are great for the low profile, lightness, and overall handling, but canvas seems a bit limiting especially in bad weather. Always thought it would be fun to chop off the front overhead portion of the Chinook and build a hardsided popup! That portion of the Chinook doesn't really do much (beside potential leak at windows) and your new truck will have a cab with an intact roof. Here's probably the most recognized hardsided popup in the toyota world:

...which would be really slick if a Chinook shell was modified in a similar way!

Being the car fabricator you are, you probably have all sorts of ideas, tricks, and mods for the drivetrain. What kind of carpenter, plumber, boat builder are you?

I looked at moding it onto a IH Travelette (crewcab pickup) or a C-series Travelall cut off behind the second door but it would be just too big for what my goals are of a rig that can do some harder trails. Also they are too wide. The Scouts are narrower and more maneuverable

Btw, that FJ75 pictured above was transplanted to a wider 80 series and the fenders flared. I don't think you can go too wide for the Chinook body. Unless you narrow the shell, it pretty much dictates the width of the overall rig.

I went to the other site you linked to check some photos, but you have to be a member to see the pics. The downloads/attachments of that forum should be set so guests can view. I don't like having to register/login just to view some pictures. Maybe you can upload to a photosharing site like flickr etc?

Gluck w/ your project and look forward to checking out your progress and ideas!

[ToyoGuy]

Welcome to the blog and modi-fest John!

I used to rock IH's when I was a kid and a buddy of mine still has one of his two Scouts (the old one is an off-road firewood truck now)

I am a Rader guy, but during my resto time, I have several times been sorely tempted by a Chinook or three....

Also, I'm with you, if it's cheap, get an extra for a donor, wish I could do that with my Rader,... I could go faster and not worry so much.

BTW, that vintage stove is sweet for a small rig!

Be looking for your prog reports.