A paint question...

Dave H (MI) · Jun 19, 2010

Asked this on another board also. When the red Farmalls (particularly those of the 1950's) came off the line and got delivered, were they glossy red like I see the repainted tractors at the shows? I have a 1957 Loboy I am going to be painting this summer and was just wondering if all that gloss is correct or just appeals to the masses?

rustyfarmall · Jun 19, 2010

The original paint did have somewhat of a shine to it, but it was a long way from the high gloss finishes that you see on the so-called "restored" trailer queens. If you buy the IH2150 paint from a Case-IH dealer, the finish will be much shinier than the original, but will be as close as you will get to original.

A Farmall with a high gloss, see your reflection in it, paint job is NOT restored. It is "customized", and is NOT correct.

Dave H (MI) · Jun 19, 2010

Interesting! I am not a fan of those shiny tractors. My cub has a lot of original paint under the hood and on the engine. Not much shine on it and darker thant the "IH red" you see at TSC in the rattle cans. Appreciate the response.

CNKS · Jun 19, 2010

You can add flatteners to the paint if you don't like the shine. I use base coat/clear coat, the more shine the better for me. Everyone has their own opinion. The original alkyd enamel used by IH was developed in the mid-30's (not by IH) and was the first "high gloss" enamel. Some improvement has been made through the years but it is still the same basic paint. 2150 is what is called a "acrylic modified" alkyd enamel. That does not necessarily improve the gloss but adds UV (fade) resisitance. My guess is that the new IH tractors did not have a high gloss because of the hurry up job that IH did, but I don't know. As to the type of paint currently used, there will be little visual difference between my sanded and buffed base-clear, and the untouched alkyd enamel applied by a skilled painter, which I am not. I am 72 and really don't remember how shiny or the lack of shine the new tractors were, my guess is that most people don't remember either, and that the shine thing has sort of snowballed due to the correct or semi-correct police.

Dave H (MI) · Jun 19, 2010

Excellent info, thank you! I'll go ahead and admit that I often stare at those glossy tractors. They do rate as eye candy! My thing is that the Loboy has a lot of original pain on the engine and body due to inside storage most of it's life. I want to leave that nice paint alone and match it as best I can on the sheet metal. I am going to have the guy who took the dent out of the gas tank do the painting. He went above the call of duty on that job and I want to throw a little more work his way. I'll discuss with him what you told me. Thanks!

ScottyHOMeY · Jun 19, 2010

Interesting observations, Dave (here and your posts below).

My BN (I won't belabor what you've already heard about what drove me on that project) was done with an acrylic urethane that would be tough and shiny anyway. I went slow and heavy on the iron for the wear factor. A friend following the paint phase of the project, came in toward the end when I was shooting the tin and offered a tip. Said if you want it to look sharp, put one final coat of extra-thin paint on it without waiting for the whole normal time between coats. It was just the trick.

In the interest of full disclosure, painting that tractor was the first time I'd ever shot color onto anything. Everything prior to that had been a sandable primer. So, yeah, there are a few runs, but nothing more severe than the runs that came out of the factory. They probably show up a bit more with the fancy paint.

That fancy stuff probably won't dull down/ chalk up as quickly, if at all, as the other paint formulations -- all that remains to be seen.

But the color is the old, darker, bloodier if you will, red, with none of the orangish cast of the 2150.

CNKS · Jun 19, 2010

Your old paint is faded, if you want to match as close as possible to the original color, select a part you can remove, clean it up, use some rubbing compound, and then wax. You may be surprised how good it will look. As to gloss, I don't recommend this and have no idea how long it will last, only a thought. Use only the base coat, don't apply the clear. I guarantee you it will be dull--my guess is that it will fade rapidly, as the UV inhibitors are in the clear. I don't know if you can polish the base or not, probably a lousy suggestion. Best to let your painter decide how much flattener to use for whatever paint you decide on.

Rick(MN) · Jun 20, 2010

Paint is always an interesting topic. My best guess that was in those days, all IH was going after was to get them red and get the metal protected. I suspect good coverage was pushed far harder than final finish. I wonder if perhaps Guy Fay has ever seen any internal memos on this subject in his research?

A paint question...

Dave H (MI)

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rustyfarmall

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Dave H (MI)

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CNKS

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Dave H (MI)

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ScottyHOMeY

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CNKS

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Rick(MN)

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