The Scout Connection was born from a passion for International Harvester vehicles and a heartfelt desire to restore them and keep them on the road.  Lynn Faeth, the owner of The Scout Connection, began his career with Internationals as a nine-year-old boy, working on his father's apple orchard delivery and farm trucks. Word got around that he worked on "Binders" and local people sought him out to repair their trucks, also. Salvage vehicles were purchased for parts and the hobby became full-time.

In 1983, it was no longer a hobby, but a full-fledged business.  Lynn put himself through college, repairing and selling parts for Internationals. After college, Lynn opened The Scout Connection in Fort Madison, Iowa and expanded the business to include service, repair, parts, and restoration.

Lynn operates the business with the help of his wife, Heather and two sons, Austin and Ethan and several employees.  In the fall of 1999, The Scout Connection moved into it's new custom-built, 10,800 sq. ft. building, just north of Fort Madison. The new location has allowed us to greatly expand and we now offer all aspects of our business, under one roof! We also now have over 5 acres of salvage vehicles for your used parts needs.

The Scout Connection is universally recognized as the leader in the restoration field. With well over 100 awards to our credit, including "Best of..." in every category and many "Best of Show", our customers regularly garner several awards at every show they enter, whether it be a strictly IH show or an open car show.

Our proudest achievement, has been receiving the prestigious "Once-in-a-Lifetime-of-the-Vehicle" Ted Ornas Award, a record four times in the eight year history of the award!! A feat unmatched by anyone!

The Scout Connection's restored vehicles have been featured in many books, magazines, newspaper articles, calendars and brochures. Lynn and Heather have also served as judges for numerous regional IH shows and the Scout Nationals for over ten years, and Lynn is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Iowa Chapter of the IHC Collector's Club.

"...your website is fabulous! ...you do your business credit."  Jeremy Tuttle  Redmond, WA

In August 1999, The Scout Connection moved into its brand - new, custom - built 10,800 square foot facility! A main parts/sales and accessories showroom, a separate restored vehicle/IH collectibles showroom, a customer waiting lounge, a 40’ x 60’ mechanical shop and a 40’ x 60’ body/paint shop, all under one roof!! Our State-of-the-Art Facilities boast the latest in high efficiency with optimal lighting and geothermal radiant floor heat and air conditioning. Our new facility was planned and built with the IH enthusiast in mind!

Our 1200 square foot parts, sales and accessories showroom is big and bright with a varied inventory and wide selection of new, used and NOS parts and accessories for your IH vehicle. Pictures of award-winning original and restored International vehicles, award plaques and original sales literature and ads adorn the walls. For customer comfort , we have a separate, but integrated customer lounge, complete with couch and cable TV! A friendly, knowledgeable sales staff and computerized inventory, order-taking and shipping, make buying/ordering parts a breeze!

We have the largest inventory of N.O.S. (New Old Stock) parts in the country! Unique to our new parts showroom is the inlaid tile “IH” in the floor (above left), as you walk in the door! Come see for yourself!!

Off the parts showroom to the north is our 1450 square foot, enclosed, climate controlled vehicle and IH collectible/memorabilia showroom. 32 ft. of lighted glass showcase adorns the north wall, filled with IH toys, memorabilia, collectibles and literature, from every corner of the earth! Many one-of-a-kind, rare and hard-to-find items on display for your enjoyment! The walls are filled with vintage IH posters, banners and IH clocks. The main floor is home to, up to 6 all-original or full, frame-off restored IH vehicles. Everything from a 1969 1100 Rescue Unit Travelall with 9000 original miles to a 1976 Scout II with a custom hand-painted Indian mural that encompasses all sides of the vehicle! Come browse our collection!

To the south side of the parts showroom is our 2400 sq. ft. mechanical shop. Equipped with a new 10K lb. twin-post hoist and two-12 ft. high electronic overhead doors to accommodate most any IH vehicle! This shop holds up to 7 vehicles at a time and we can perform everything from major engine overhauls and drivetrain swaps to oil changes and tire mounting/balancing! Our combined 40 years of experience and knowledgeable mechanical staff can help you, no matter what pesters your International vehicle! Bring it to us!!

To the south of the mechanical shop is our 2400 sq. ft. body and paint shop. With room for 5 vehicles and two-12 ft. overhead electronic doors, there is ample room for our full array of accident damage, body work, painting and first-class restorations! Our custom paint booth is separate, but integrated, over 450 sq. ft. with an overhead garage door and more than ample lighting.

Our location, 2 miles north of Fort Madison, directly on Hwy 61 is ideal, with easy access off the highway, leading to 25,500 sq. ft. of graveled parking area in front of our building and 7 paved parking spaces for your convenience We have room for a semi to turn around easily! Our entire facility is handicap-accessible! Drop by and see our new facility, our vehicles, our collections and allow us to serve you!! We do IH full-time!!

The Scout Connection is a member in good standing of the following:
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
NFIB (National Federation of Business)
BBB (Better Business Bureau)
IHC Collector's Club - Worldwide
Iowa Chapter - IHC Collector's Club

The Scout Connection sponsors and supports:
Midwest IHC Classic
Sunflower Regional Intl. Family Reunion
IHC Collector's Club - Worldwide
Iowa Chapter - IHC Collector's Club