Farmall H Paint Job

I am having my 52 H painted this winter. Would like to have it done correctly. What parts are not supposed to be painted red? Also how do you remove the rivets that attach the serial, generator, and starter tags on?

Instead of removing the plates, wouldn't it be easier to just cover them with tape?

You could likely find that info by searching the site. I would also recommend Guy Fays books (Yes, entire books have been written on this subject) IIRC it is something like "Farmall Letters Series Tractors" and there are many others.

dont take any tags off, work around them..cover them with tape...pg

Mask the plates off along with any glass (light and gauge lenses), electrical connections (on the generator and starter, light housings, and regulator/relay), plug wires and dist cap, any seat cover and the rim on your steering wheel. After that it's red, wires, harnesses and all. The only thing apart from the rims that wasn't actively painted red at the factory was the radiator, which was left black as installed, but there was no effort made to shield it from red overspray.

(quoted from post at 18:40:53 09/10/10) I am having my 52 H painted this winter. Would like to have it done correctly. What parts are not supposed to be painted red? Also how do you remove the rivets that attach the serial, generator, and starter tags on?

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Take a good, close-up look at those rivets. They might actually be tiny little screws with slotted heads, and you can just un-screw them. My 1940 H is that way, as well as my 1940 M, and I need to take another look at my 1950 H, but I think it is that way also.

The only items that should not be painted are the distributor cap, spark plugs and spark plug wires, the rubber shifter knob, the steering wheel(but the spokes DO get painted), and the seat cushion, and of course, mask off the gauge faces. Everything else gets painted red.

(quoted from post at 06:09:57 09/11/10)

(quoted from post at 18:40:53 09/10/10) I am having my 52 H painted this winter. Would like to have it done correctly. What parts are not supposed to be painted red? Also how do you remove the rivets that attach the serial, generator, and starter tags on?

Click to expand...

Take a good, close-up look at those rivets. They might actually be tiny little screws with slotted heads, and you can just un-screw them. My 1940 H is that way, as well as my 1940 M, and I need to take another look at my 1950 H, but I think it is that way also.

The only items that should not be painted are the distributor cap, spark plugs and spark plug wires, the rubber shifter knob, the steering wheel(but the spokes DO get painted), and the seat cushion, and of course, mask off the gauge faces. Everything else gets painted red.

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Don't forget all tags (starter, generator, others)

I think I would like to add that a "factory" paint job looks terrible. It is a sloppy, runny coat of red that covers EVERYTHING. Like stated, if you wanted to do a factory job you would leave the radiator black, but cover it with overspray anyhow. It was also stated that the bottoms of these things rarely saw a decent coat of paint. When I do mine I am not going to paint the wires and maybe a few other things. I think it just looks a little better, but they are our tractors not the Correct Polices. Paint it green and gold for all I care!

I would just work around the tags but at some point the tractor was repainted and the tags were all covered in paint and hardly readable. I was going to buy new tags and stamp the numbers in.

Use that blue tape to cover any tags or any other items you don't want painted. Hal

Now you got me laughin' at m'self. The first draft I had of my answer included his generator/starter/serial-number tags, but I didn't post it because I ws sure I was forgettin' something. The answer I did finally post left the tags out, which was one of his questions in the first place.

Time for another nap.

I agree on the fctory paint. For the most part the paint was a colored rust preventer and was put on heavy, runs and all (these were tractors, not HenryJ's) for durability. Haven't observed the thin paint on the bottom thing myself. Wonder if it might have to do with so many of the old ones havin' had grass grow up under them where they sat (abandoned or just seasonal idleness) so that the bottom is more apt to be exposed to freezing moisture, like the undercarriage of a road vehicle that's been parked in the grass???

i used a rotary burr on a die grinder to grind the heads off on the serial tag, then go in with a small drill bit and clean out the hole. they are brass and come out easy. the new rivets drive in.

(quoted from post at 10:25:30 09/11/10) Now you got me laughin' at m'self. The first draft I had of my answer included his generator/starter/serial-number tags, but I didn't post it because I ws sure I was forgettin' something. The answer I did finally post left the tags out, which was one of his questions in the first place.

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I always love it when I type a post and then it tells me I am a SPAMbot and have included restricted words...how in the world do I do that!?! Half the time I try and reword it and it will still kick me out. I don't get it so usually I just give up. :roll: