McCormick or McCormick Deering? Farmall C decals

I have a 49 C.

I want to say it should be a McCormick Deering decal for the hood, but I am going by what is meant for the Cub. (I am a Cub restorer, the C is all new to me)

So, anyone have the correct decal suggestion for my tractor? I would liek to get it right the first time, as I am using PPG Deltron DBU base/clear paint on the tractor. I would like to order the decals for it now, before paint, so I can match any red background decal color to the paint.

Also, there are some decal sets on ebay which seem really good, as they are individual letters and not a big clear sticker with the letters all printed on one decal. I was reading the sellers feedback and someone had said they were the wrong size... so... Anyone have a C handy that they could measure the diameter of the "C" and also the correct printing dimensions? I would prefer to have this as close to original as possible, as I have spared no expense, so far.

Thanks all

John

Order vynil cut decals & you will not have to worry about background color. Little more $ but well worth it... I recomend Maple - Hunter decals based in Indiana

Do you want "original" decals, or do you want "custom" decals? The type of decals you are talking about are "custom". They are not "original". A correct restoration uses original decals.

John, just bite the bullet and go with Maple Hunter decals. That way you are 100% sure you are getting the right lettering, and the right size, because Maple Hunter does it right.

The decals should NOT have a red background. Those are cheap rip-off ebay decals. Garbage.

If you're going with expensive PPG paint, why are you skimping and trying to pinch pennies on the decals???? Get the right color of PPG paint for the tractor; don't try to match some junky ebay decal because the decal will fade and it will look HORRIBLE after about two weeks.

Mylar decals with the clear backing are original and correct. They were probably water transfer originally, but new ones are peel and stick AFAIK.

In my opinion, the vinyl cut out decals look the best and they also hide any paint fading that could occur. I put the mylar sheet ones on my H and then the paint faded (despite being stored indoors 362 days a year) and now the rectangle covered by the clear sheet is darker than the paint surrounding it.

Also, I don't know what year your C is, but I believe the ones 1946 and older are supposed to say "McCormick Deering" above Farmall instead of "McCormick" like the ones '47 and after. Those older decals also don't have the "IH" logo since it hadn't come out yet. I'm not exactly certain of the cutoff, but ask the decal people when you order them or do some research so you're sure to have the right ones.

Make sure you're happy with what you order or you will regret it down the road!

Try Iron Horse Decals in Fargo, ND.
Pete has excellent and correct decals for your C.
I have several tractors with his decals and they look great. Shipping is quick and service is top quality.
701-298-0773
Tell him I sent you.
Wayne Swenson

Thanks for all the quick replies.


The decals I was referring to, on ebay, are apparently, without any red background. At first glance, I was under the impression that they did have a background, going by the picture that they listed. After looking at other pictures in their listing, I would say there is no background.

I am not trying to pinch pennies at all. I am trying to get the closest to correct as possible. I just ordered decals for a Farmall Cub from the dealership last year, and they were vinyl printed on a red background stickers. The correct decals for the tractor were water transfer. To my knowledge, no one makes a proper original set of decals for the tractor. The correct decals would have had a red background and been water transfer. The decals with the individual cut letters or the ones printed on a piece of clear vinyl are not correct.

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-I-H-Farmall-C...ryZ71373QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem



That is a set of 1962 water transfer decals, replacement OEM, made by the OEM supplier. The other Farmall decals would have been made in the same way. I have a Farmall cub set of water transfer decals in mint shape and they are red as well.

I will probably order from Carter & Gruenewald if there is any debate over the correctness of the decals. I am pretty sure Ken wrote the book on the Farmalls, so he would know what should be and what shouldn't.

As for the McCormick Deering vs. McCormick... like I said, I have a 49. I was sure that 49 was the last year they used McCormick Deering name, but could be wrong.

The red background being OEM does not make sense at all to me. How would the reds ever match to the point where you can't tell the difference in pictures? I've looked at hundreds of photos of letter series farmalls, both B&W and color, and never noticed an off-color patch where the decal sits. Even went back and looked at a few just now... Can't see it.

Dad re-painted the Super M back in the mid 1970's, and surely at that time, you could still get OEM decals, and that's surely what he would've gotten because the IH dealer was 5 miles away, and the Internet did not exist. Clear mylar backing on those... A red-backed decal would stick out like a sore thumb after 32 years...

Unless, the red backing is really the backing, and not part of the decal itself!

The red background decals ARE correct!!! (as a replacement part) IH used these as replacement parts in the 1950-60's.

The reason the background is red is to allow you to add a new set of decals over a sun faded or worn set and not worry about getting the letters to line perfectly (like you would if the background was clear ).....

I have a few NOS sets from the 1950's like this. They have the right "fonts" compared to the decals being "printed" today.....

Personally, I use the clear background decals. Some LOVE the die cut vinyl (individual letters) decals. That's ok, they usually put a set of generic looking chassis decals to cheapen the look on the rest of the tractor.....

Just cuz it's right doesn't mean it makes sense... Seems to me I'd rather have faded or worn decals vs. an obnoxious pair of off-color bumper stickers on the hood of my tractor!!!

If the decals are faded, the paint is too, and the red background of these replacement decals sure isn't going to match the red paint, and they're going to stick out like a sore thumb.

I think, though, that's what someone did to my Super A. The Farmall decals are faded to WHITE rectangles on the sides of my hood...

The Super H on the other hand, had several sets of clear mylar decals laid over each other with no regard for getting them lined up... Don't know who could've possibly thought THAT looked better...

Like Bermuda Ken says, the red background decals are correct factory type decals. I bought many sets of them from my IH dealer in the past.

Thanks Ken!

I didn't know you posted on this forum. I usually see you over at farmallcub.com or even toytractortalk. Speaking of, have you gotten any sneak peaks at the new Spec-Cast Farmall Cub due out in October? I want to see some pictures of the toy, instead of the promo photo of the actual tractor.

I think I found my answer as to what decals should be on my tractor. I did a little browsing over at www.wisconsinhistory.org and found this picture taken in a 1949 of the "new" 1949 Farmall C. To give proper credit, where credit is due, this is image number 2486, made available by the Wisconsin Historical Society. As per their request I must mention the image ID number, and where the photo is located. Thanks Wisconsin!



I also found pictures of the "new" 1948 Farmall C and it has the McCormick Deering decals, where-as the 49 just has the McCormick Farmall decals. I must have been confused, as I thought that the Deering name carried into 49, but I must have been confused. It has been a while since I fooled with tractors.

Ken, what is your suggestion for the best decal set available? Does CnGco have them? I wasn't aware that the red background wasn't factory, but oem replacement. I will deffinitely install clear background decals. This makes more sense now, especially, as it has jogged my mind about the 1950 Demonstrator guys having to paint that red squared on the hood under the IH because the decal left it white.

Thanks again for all the help from everybody. I am going to buy all the 1949 images from Wisconsin Historical Society in very large sizes so I can get a bit more of the detail correct.

John

DO NOT use the red background decals!! Sold by IH or not. I glanced at the replies to this point. Mylar decals are what came on your tractor, you are going to paint it, so you want the film to be clear or colorless. But, I prefer the vinyl cut, no discoloration of the film because there is no film -- I don't listen the correct police. You do not want the red background because it will look out of place, and it will NOT match the paint ($$$$) you use, there are many shades of paint that vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. The Deltron paint code for your tractor is 70093 (IH 50) (tell the dealer to cross IH 50 in case I am wrong) or IH 1102B. The code changed in 1949, so depending on the casting codes, you can use either. I don't know if you can cross 1102B to Deltron. You can use IH 2150/PPG 71310 (Appeared on the 460/560 in 1961). It is supposed to be a close match to the old IH 50, but is really isn't, has an orange tint to it, at least to my eyes, some say no. Also the Deering on the decal was dropped in about mid 1949 (IH used up the old supply 1st) so your tractor could be either. As mentioned, get your decals from Maple Hunter, or some other reputable source, you will not need to worry about the size of the letters.