In order to completely overhaul a scout motor, it is helpful to have the Lionel service manual pages, a wheel puller, and a press to put the wheels back on when the time comes.
A complete overhaul may not be required. I suggest you read the materials I linked, and follow the procedures related to cleaning the stuff in the brush housing.
Lionel Scout cars have a unique couple that does not mate with other cars. Lionel sold 480 conversion couplers to allow the cars to be run with standard Lionel cars. Some folks turned the truck around so the scout coupler faced inwards, and attached the 480 conversion coupler. Other folks removed the scout coupler before installing the conversion.
You can convert one end of a single car, and use it as a transition car between coupler types, or you can convert them all.
There are a few different model conversion couples, but they all basically work the same way. Two of them are 480-25 and 480-32.
