[ihc] Thank you, Santa Claus!!...(Long)

["Mike & Sherry Bolton" <ihmike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here's a note from a long-time lurker; I've only posted once or twice.
Now that my "Quest" is realized, you'll hear more from me.
After a long time (7 years) of stopping by at a neighbor's and offering
to buy his *Special* Scout, I finally contacted them this fall, and they
were willing to sell. (A sad note, the original owner was stricken with
Alzheimer's, and had no more use for it as a hunting vehicle.)
I've been a Scout owner since 1987, and have been very happy with my
Diesel Scout. It's been a loyal servant, taking me to the Nationals
twice, RMIHR 4 times, Lynn Faeth's Midwest Classic 8 times, and to 4 Red
Power Roundups. Some of you may have seen it, a 1980 Green-and-White
Rallye with the White-Yellow-and-Orange Rallye stripe.
It's time to turn the page now, and devote my time and treasure to the
true object of my IH fixation. The *Special* Scout I mention is none
other than the *Last Scout Built*. Its condition leaves something to be
desired, but it is far from hopeless. It will take a considerable
investment, but the special nature of this machine demands that it be
brought back to a respectable condition. 
It will be made available at occasional show and events for those who
want a glimpse into the past to that moment when that particular Scout's
rolling down the line meant the end of a very proud endeavor.

Here's a view of how it looks today:

 http://www.redpowermagazine.com/uploads/upload.cgi/Visitor2Woods.JPG

While the Scout was being built, the workers at the Factory wrote
somewhere on the truck where it would not be discovered for some time.
They painted the bellhousing Farmall Red, and wrote in Permanent Marker.
Here is what was written on the bellhousing on *The Last Scout*:

http://www.redpowermagazine.com/uploads/upload.cgi/Clutch2.JPG

The purchase of this Scout at this time represents the Christmas present
from my wife to me, as she has been very understanding and supportive.
In truth, it'll probably be Christmas presents, and birthday presents
from her to me for years to come, as the Scout gets body mounts, and
floor pans, rust patches, and end caps. I'll keep all you Digesters
informed as days go by.

Ironically, the *Last Light Line* is a scant 20 minutes' drive away. A
friend of mine was looking for an all wheel drive heavy
last-year-of-production IH truck to pull his rare IH tractors to shows.
I found him that particular truck on an auction listing that came in the
mail. No one knew that it was the last one. It did, however have a build
date of May 5, 1975. I told him to check it out, just because its build
date was so remarkably "Late". As it turned out, research by Navistar's
Legal and Reliability people found that it was indeed the *Last Light
Line IH Truck*. 
There is more information posted at:

http://www.last.cornbinder.com/

When the weather gets more favorable, and the salt is off all our roads
up here in Iowa, I'll roll the Scout over to my friend Nick's house, and
get pictures of the *Last 2* together. That will have to be a first.

That's probably enough for now, but to say to Ed Sohm that it was nice
for him to stop over yesterday; that was a nice visit. Always a
pleasure.

Mike Bolton