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To paint or not to paint.

A

Adirondack case guy

Well-known Member
I picked up this MM RTU this week. It has spent all it's life on a local farm a couple miles from me. The last it was run was 2005. It's always had lots of TLC. Sat morning my son and I went to get it. we poured some gas in it and aired up one front tire. Got it off the jacks it was on, checked the fluids, and stuck the hand crank in to start it. after about a dozen flops it was fireing, and a few more and it would run for a moment. Pushed it outside and hooked a chain to it and gave it a tug. and same thing. run for a moment. took out the idle and fuel jets, wiped them down and put them back in, and then it ran. The son drove it home. It now starts usually on first pull. It runs like a top, has excellent brakes and the clutch has no issues. the only problem I have found is a leaking seal on the tranny input shaft. Only drips when running. I posted down on the MM board and got a few opinions there. I am looking for opinions here on TT. I am still not sure how long I will keep it, as I'm a Case guy, but I also grew up seeing this tractor a lot, and we were all neighbors and friends.
Loren, the Acg.
Ps sorry for the pic sequence being a bit out of order. for the last few months it takes forever to get a pic to upload, and I end up previewing and then going back and trying again to make it work.
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As is said here often;
They're only original once.
I vote to leave it as is.
When I go to a show and see rows and rows of pretty tractors they all look the same after a while.
But it's the ones like this one that I will stop and admire for a while.
 
Anybody can restore a tractor Loren,nobody can make one original again. Case man or not,if it's local,that beauty would be just the way it is and sitting in the corner of my toolshed til they bury me if it was mine.
I sure wish our Super 55 and 500 were original paint. Even if it was a little rough,to find one that old with original paint that nobody has painted with a barn broom,I'd definitely leave it alone.
 
Yep,there was an all original Oliver 66 at the National Oliver Show a few years ago. It was no better than that Moline,but I was getting in to a real emotional involvement with that thing.
 
I think a good rule to live by is everybody needs one or two pretty tractors - the rest can and should stay original.

So if you've already got one restored, might as well just leave that as is.
 
Good golly no! That's a beautiful tractor just the way it is. Wonderful patina. That took years to get like that and it shows how it was taken care of. Fresh paint hides a lot! I'd be more likely to buy that one over one that is painted perfect.

My .02

Stumpy
 
I have a set of fenders that vill fit your tractor.
They aren't in the best of shape, but I sell them sheap.
 
If you paint it with the correct paint you'll have more money in it that it's worth.
 
If its running as good as you say then Id let it be the way it is.. Id love to have her!! Been looking for a R for a while
 
I wouldn't repaint it, but I'd preserve it so it doesn't get worse. I'm not sure what the best way to do that would be. Maybe just keep it waxed or maybe shoot it with flat clear.
 
Originality adds character.Complete restoration makes it just like all the others.Tractors that are too good too use aren't welcome at our house.
 
I'd just clean it up good, maybe fix the trans leak so it stays clean. The sheet metal looks to be excellent so it will be tempting to paint it but I wouldn't do it. Not many originals that look that good.
 
I was at a car show today where a guy had a model T Ford just like your paint. That's where the biggest crowd gathered. These type tractors fascinate people.
 
Randy,
Here is a pic I posted of it earlier when it was new back in 1940. You commented on this pic, reguarding why the front wheels were so wide. Answer, to get through mud and snow without them cloging up and skidding. After driveing it, I was amased how nice and easy it steers. I don't think these tractors broke too many fingers trying to steer them, and with the engine craking mechanism built into the nose, I don't think many thumbs were broken.
Loren
a156128.jpg
 
my opinion , it has ,at best , 25% paint and 75% rust. That being said , if you are going to sell it , I would leave it as is because the new buyer has two options then and will pay for that choice. If I were going to keep it , I would restore completely. My "line in the sand" is 50%! If they don't have at least 50% good paint then they get done. Also, when painting one it doesn't mean you have to use "shiny" paint. One can make it look old/original and still have all new paint.
 
Loren ACG,

Well, everybody already knows my vote... keep her in her work clothes. It"s really beautiful as is!

On a side note: will be calling to place an order - had a family emergency so didn"t get that done yet.
 
I have been toying with the idea of trying to remove the flakeing rust and paint, and then clear coating it to give it a little shine.
What are your thoughts on that, and posibly some pointers on doing that.
Loren
 
A clear coat would be my vote. Professional grade material will bond the paint with no prep other than wiping it down to degrease. I would not make it shiny. Jim
 
A question to all those that suggest clear coating.

Doesn't the rust just bubble up through it?

It does through paint, I can't see why it wouldn't through clear coat.

Doesn't that kinda make a mess as opposed to just letting it be? I picture it looking like it's got flaking skin in a few years.

To me that rust looks like dry climate rust. Just a surface coat, not true "rotting" you get in wet climates. (I could be wrong - not sure where the tractor is).

Surface rust is it's own protective barrier. If it stays dry, I don't think it'll continue rotting, so might as well just leave it as is.

Or as others have said, you could give it an auction paint job of diesel or kerosene, if you don't mind it being shiny for a while.
 
I would not paint it. I would take some of the finest steel wool you can buy, and rub it down good. I've did that several times on older pedal cars I didn't want to paint. It brings back some of the color and does not hurt it a bit. Try it in a place not real visible to see how it will work.
 
What a peach! Original tractors tell the story of it's entire life. Repainted tractors tell the story since the repaint. I hate to erase history.

Original tractors are really gaining fame now also, as you can see from the previous posts. One recent example in the A-C world is a really neat low hour original WC sold for nearly $4000. About the same time a repainted one sold on auction for $900. Both were mid 30s flat top models.

Jim
 
Seems most would treat it like a coin or old firearm where cleaning and re-finishing would significantly devalue it, usually not true with most old tractors. Being complete, mechanically sound,weathered, some surface rust or patina, shows its age and character, hard to erase that with new paint, but then again they look so nice when done, take lots of quality photos to document its earlier state.

I'd have a hard time with making a decision, as I too like the unrestored originality, but also like, and have an appreciation for a nice restoration of the finish, especially if its a mechanically sound tractor, be it you rebuild it from total dis-assembly or just go over it repairing things, fixing leaks, making it field ready with a new finish as well. It's nice restore something to look like new, a tribute to who owned it for so long, to preserve it, and they always look sharp, but you may miss the originality ! What a quandary if you think about it, either way, I don't think a person is wrong, well unless they paint it an off color LOL ! Safe thing is to leave as is, can only get that kind of finish once in every how many years LOL !
 
If it was rust through like around a wheel well on a car then yes, the rust would bubble through. The tractor has surface rust. As long as it's good and clean it should be able to be cleared without any future problems.
 
Painting is not restoring. Just painting an old tractor can cause it to lose value because buyers think you're trying to hide something.
 
This is true, I would agree, no paint does not = restoration, did not mean to even infer that, just a consideration, they do look so nice when properly done, but there is a lot to be said to work with what you have and leave well enough alone, for reasons like you said, aside from this, its an interesting story, this tractor and what Loren told us about it, then considering whats best to do with it now.
 
If the PA is your state I have an RTE I'm thinking of selling. I'm in southern NY, thinking of moving buy the whole collection.
 
looks pretty good as is.
I had a JD with a little more paint on the tin, but similar.
After cleaning, I just wax the tin. Old coarse rags and wax right over the paint, rust. Looks ok, and gives it a little protection.
If you clean off the oil grime on the cast parts, do it by hand.
Pressure washing takes off paint too, and screwdrivers and scrapers scratch too much.
soften it up with cleansers or diesel, and clean it off. Takes time, but worth it.
(if the grime is thick and has been there a long time, I might leave it be. Might be much newer looking paint under it that will be very obvious)
 
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