Rad Redrunner
Member
While at the parts store to buy a new alternator belt for the "new" Super A, I happened to see that they stocked spray cans of International Harvester Red. Well, of course I had to buy one, because some previous owner had decided that the tractor would look alot spiffier if the oil breather cap, the air intake cap and the gas cap were painted silver. When I got home, I of course looked at the problem of how to put the new belt on. which led to the discovery that the fan belt had to come off in order to put the alternator belt on, which led to the discovery that there wasn't much room to get a socket or a wrench to the back nut of the fan pully in order to remove it, which led to the realization that the job at hand was going to be a real "booger". So, with much strong-willed determination, I rolled up my sleeves and immediately set about relegating that job to the back recesses of my mind while I concentrated on the more immediately rewarding job of painting the silver caps back to their original glorious IH red.
But the caps were not enough, and the urge to "freshen up" other parts of the Super A was too strong to fight, so I began to spray the few areas that I had previously and partially cleaned of grease and soil, along with other less-soiled parts that seemed like they would likely hold the new paint for at least a month. I did manage to refrain from painting the parts I haven't gotten to with the degreaser, mostly because the finish wouldn't have been very smooth or pleasing to the eye. When I finished spray-painting the various parts, I stepped back and admired the improvement. Then I got on the tractor and cranked it, and discovered to my amazement just how much smoother the little Super A ran and how much quicker and smoothly it responded to the throttle! I believe it even sounded a couple of horsepower stronger, but it's hard to tell without a load. I swear, that can of spray-paint was the best bang-for-your-buck investment I've made so far for my "new" Super A! There's another spray can of International Harvestor Red paint still on the shelf at the parts store, and I'm going back down there tomorrow and buy it before someone else does; heck, with one or two more cans of paint, I may not even have to do that overhaul I thought the tractor needed!
Rad
But the caps were not enough, and the urge to "freshen up" other parts of the Super A was too strong to fight, so I began to spray the few areas that I had previously and partially cleaned of grease and soil, along with other less-soiled parts that seemed like they would likely hold the new paint for at least a month. I did manage to refrain from painting the parts I haven't gotten to with the degreaser, mostly because the finish wouldn't have been very smooth or pleasing to the eye. When I finished spray-painting the various parts, I stepped back and admired the improvement. Then I got on the tractor and cranked it, and discovered to my amazement just how much smoother the little Super A ran and how much quicker and smoothly it responded to the throttle! I believe it even sounded a couple of horsepower stronger, but it's hard to tell without a load. I swear, that can of spray-paint was the best bang-for-your-buck investment I've made so far for my "new" Super A! There's another spray can of International Harvestor Red paint still on the shelf at the parts store, and I'm going back down there tomorrow and buy it before someone else does; heck, with one or two more cans of paint, I may not even have to do that overhaul I thought the tractor needed!
Rad
