Picked up a gallon of my massey red paint today, I use NAPA Crossfire single stage paint!!  Like everything else it has went UP, a gallon is well over $200 (suppose to sell for $272, get it for little less) getting crazy!!  With the price of parts it really puts a strain (to say the least) on the SS check!!!  Really taking the fun out this “hobby” we have considering the value of the finished product!!   Not sure what I’m going to do once the wife decides to retire, can’t continue at this rate for sure!!!  

Yes it is quite expensive fixing up or restoring these old tractors. I know I have shelled out more money on my two than what they worth, but to me, you cant take em with ya, so might as well enjoy em! But I will say for me, if the tractor is not in a sorry state, I just fix what mechanical things need fixed and leave it at that. But on the flip side, buying parts or having parts rebuilt is not cheap either. My brother keeps trying to talk me into buying an old cabover to fix up. Trust me that thought has crossed my mind but while I too like them old trucks, I think I'd be getting into something more than I bargained for because parts for old trucks like that is ALOT more expensive than some parts for antique tractors. Think I'll enjoy what I have!

Shiny painted tractors are nice but I prefer original oiled down tractors. You can make a mixture of oil and diesel for about $20.00 per tractor and you are good for the year. It really makes the old paint "POP" and look good. It also keeps them from rusting, When I do It with the rubber tractors I soak the tires and all. It seems to help the tires from drying out as well.

I do know in this day and age you can buy a really nicely restored painted tractor with new tires for about 1/2 the price you can fix and paint one yourself. 

One more thing to think about "Therapy"  I've never seen a tractor parked in front of the Therapists office.

Joe  

Antique tractors/trucks are my therapy!

      I totally agree with the therapy aspect!!!  Dont know what I’d have done these last 10 years since I had to retire if it weren’t for my tractors!!!  My family isn’t really “involved” with my tractors so it’s pretty much my own thing!!  Was just using the paint as an example as other then personal preference it’s not a must when it comes to making the tractor run or move on it’s own but as you guys all know EVERYTHING has gotten so expensive, how do u guys cope with it????    

My philosophy is to give the tractors "MINIMAL THERAPY".  By which I mean spend only what is necessary to get them back to a fairly original condition.  Paint therefore goes by the way - concentrate on original parts or faithful replicas so they look original.  Get them ticking over so that you can have a drive of them and enjoy them as they were.  Then minimal annual maintenance.  This way they will give you, the owner "MAXIMUM THERAPY"!  Joe is right that an oil spray brings out the coulour in any old paint, moreover with repeated annual sprays the colour seems to clean and brighten up more.

 If you want to take them to a show all you have to do is wipe down just the tinwork and leave the chassis coverered in dust gathering oil - they look so original like this.  And don't be afraid to put a simple screwed or bolted on patch on to torn or rotten tinwork - after all that is what a farmer of the day would have done.  Don't worry about small oil leaks - they were like this from new!

John

I agree this paint thing is way out of hand. That Green Challenger I just did with the cleaner, primer, red and green paint cost me right at $1000.00 in Polyurathane.
When we were in the implement buisness I sold a lot of paint for $29.95 a gallon and it was good paint. 
I had no choice as there was not one spot of paint left on this tractor.

So therpay probably cost around $200.00 per session ,thats only 5 sessions.

  Am working on the motor out of the 101 sr, when I tore it down didn’t look bad at all and I drove it into the shop, didn’t sound bad either!  Crankshaft bearings looked good hardly showed any wear, all are standard!!  Crankshaft shows wear, mics right on boarder line!!  Been trying to decide what to do, have crankshaft turned and buy new bearings, about $300 additional, main bearing set over $170!!! By the time I put new rings and full set of gaskets ( 1 new connecting rod due to bad wris  I was a mechanic by trade so this isn’t a fly-by-the-seat decision and it’s really hard to convince myself “it’s just an old tractor” that will be lucky to run another 100 hrs and no work so it’ll be okay, not used to doing things that way whether it was for myself or a customer, hard to start now!!  

If it was me I would go ahead and put all new in that way I know its fixed and I hopefully wont have to tear it all apart again. But again, thats my way of thinking.

Has anyone tried the massey harris paint that is on ebay?  I think that might work for the disk and wheel rake I want to repaint?