$$$$$$ 88

If you consider just paint and decals to be "restored", then you can get away with as little as a couple hundred. If you go through everything, put in all new seals, rebuild the engine, and rebuild everything else you can think of, you can easily be on your way to $15,000 or more depending on what you have, how much work you do yourself, etc etc...

If you do it right, you'll never make back what you put into it just by selling it.

Donovan from Wisconsin

If you were given the tractor and it needs no more than some paint (you can go cheap $20 a gallon on up) you might make yourself $1500.00 or more depending on how desirable your 88 is. If you priced that tractor at $2500, but it needs rubber (at an average of $500 - $600 for tubes/tires) you may have trouble getting that top dollar. The average (mechanically sound needs cosmetics) "antique" row crop(prior to 1960) tractor in central Indiana has an average asking price around $1800.

My own experience even with buying a tractor "cheap" at $500 or less, expect to double or triple your initial cost for the project by the time your done. My average profit has only been about $400. (I've done 6, sold 3.) If I factored in electricity to run the shop and paid myself a fair hourly wage I might just be breaking even. There are obvious exceptions.

Now, its not that you cant make money fixing up old iron, just realize that an Oliver 88 isnt rare and if major mechanical work is required on top of a cosmetic restoration your expense will likely exceed fair market value. That is why most everybody will agree that your doing it for fun, not profit. Ultimately, its your choice and it's a gamble.