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What you paint on a tractor depends on whether you want to end up with a factory paint job, or something better. From The JD "H" Restoration Guide, 2nd Edition, - - - Factory painting -- Movies taken of John Deere factory operations during the JD "H" production era show that tractors were completely assembled (with temporary skeleton wheels), then run-in and tested on belt-drive dynometers for power level and fuel economy before being painted green. Subsequently, pre-painted (yellow) wheels were mounted as one of the last assembly activities. Some items were masked such as gauge lenses, light lenses and rear wheel axles, but things like fuel lines, carburetors, water hoses, etc., were not masked, and were painted. Hidden areas such as underside of the hood or under the platform were left unpainted. After all, these tractors were built for work, not appearance. In fact, that movie showed a touch-up painter slopping paint with a brush onto tractors. So much for factory paint quality! Doesn't this process sound a lot like a "Spruce up" paint job? So if you are doing a spruce up of this or another tractor, feel free to apply a "factory paint" job! Just don't paint rear axles or splines. Having outlined the crude factory paint jobs, one must point out that John Deere did occasionally make "show" tractors for expositions, shows, and fairs. These tractors were carefully detailed. Most restorers lean in this direction. Expo Quality (show) Paint Plan -- Here are some hints. Items not painted include the radiator core, wheel axles, power shaft, ignition parts, brass carburetor parts, hoses, grip part of the steering wheel, temp and oil pressure gauge faces, light lenses, electrical harnesses, generator, cut-out relay, fuel lines and switching valves, and the sediment bowl assembly for openers. Applying Muffler Black (JD P/N TY6550) to the manifold, exhaust pipe and muffler is a nice touch too! Identifying items not to be painted early in the game will allow you to achieve better quality in appearance. Make a plan. Draw it out as a flow chart. You will need it early on as in the radiator, carburetor and steering wheel. ++++
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