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Gary, I'd say it depends on what you want for a finished product. If you're just looking to clean up a dirty tractor and get some paint on her for the sake of protection, and to have gher looking decent again with maybe some new decals . . . You can't go wrong by renting a hot pressure washer -- typically an electric pump and a kerosene/diesel burner. It will amaze you what one of those will take off. The caution others gave about not getting water into things is worth observing, but a little water in the crankcase can be fixed with an oil change. If you get blasting media (sand, glass beads, coal slag or aluminum oide shavings) into an engine, you' be looking at a teardown to clean up the mess. Just be careful with the pressure washers. They'll pop the clips on your distributor cap if you hit 'em just right! If your aim is to clean it up as I described, I'd suggest a hot pressure wash, followed with a conventional pressure wash if you can tap a degreaser compund into your stream, followed up my a good washdown with a mitt full of warm water with a lot of Dawn mixed in, and a good rinse. Perhaps a little work with a twisted wire brush on an angle grinder for the tough spots, or even a Scotchbrite pad. Any parts you think would benefit from sandblasting, I'd suggest taking them off and working on them well away from the tractor. If you're thinking more like a restoration type paint job, that's a different ball of wax.
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