Okay, try replacing that line with this just as a test:
SCC3_T8 = ((unsigned int)(0x0100) >> 8) & 1; /* Set the ninth bit */
This should just send the 9th bit regardless of what data you really want to send. If the bit shows up on the oscilloscope then you know that the configuration is good and that the code is working - which would mean the only reason you hadn't seen the pulse before is because the unsgined ints that you were sending just didn't happen to have a ninth bit as a 1. If this test doesn't work, then you know that something has to be wrong with the SCI configuration.