[ihc] 194 Scout 80 rearend

[George Eaves <w5xs@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi guys... I'm a relatively new scout owner and likewise pretty new to 
the digest but, already I know there is a lot knowledgeable people that 
read the digest.  I ran into a problem a while back that I would like to 
run past those of you that are willing and able to respond.  I own a '64 
Scout that had a bum rear end.  After tracking down all the parts from 
across the nation,
(ring & pinion gears, clutches and one rear axle) I took the rear end 
and the new parts (actually they were good used parts) to a transmission 
and rear end repair shop for them to assemble it for me. After a few 
days they called and said the rear end was ready to go.  I picked it up 
a couple of days later and brought it home.  I installed it the 
following weekend and took the Scout for a test drive here on my 
property.  After about a mile or so of driving, it started to make some 
weird grinding noise just as I returned to the garage.  I pulled the 
fill plug on the rear end and stuck my finger in the hole.  My heart 
sank when I discovered that the rear end didn't have any oil in it.  I 
immediately called the shop that did the assembly job and told one of 
the owners that the rear end was absolutely dry. He said "we don't put 
oil in them".  I said they should have told me that when I picked it up, 
to which he replied "Wasn't there a sticker on the rear end that said to 
put oil in it"?  When I replied in the negative, he asked "isn't it 
written on you receipt" to which I also replied that there wasn't.  I 
took it in so they could look at it and the other owner told me that 
they weren't responsible for the damage that was done because I should 
have known that it didn't have any lube in it.  SO... I guess my 
question for you guys is... should a layman be expected to "know"  that 
the shop didn't put oil in the rear end?  What if a widow had a similar 
problem, and had her next door neighbor pull out the rear end so she 
could take it to a shop for repair?   Should she have known? Your 
thoughts on this would really be appreciated guys!

Thanks,
George