How to remove old paint from tractor and re-paint?

I’m going to be purchasing a Farmall H within the next couple weeks. It runs and drives, and looks decent, but I want to tune it up and make it look brand new.

I’m planning on doing a partial restoration (as much as my budget and mechanical skills will allow). Aside from replacing wires, rebuilding the carburetor, etc, I want to re-paint the tractor.

What’s the best way to remove the old paint from the sheet metal and the frame?

Then, when it comes to re-painting, do I use a primer, a paint with hardener, and then a clear finish? What is the general process for re-painting a tractor.

Scroll on down to the paint section. Lots
of explanations, tips, dos and don'ts,
safety, etc.

Heads up, paint sounds easy, but to do it
right takes a ton of time, patience and
work. Plan on redoing multiple parts to
get it right. I have 7 layers of paint on
my hood, but sanded about 4 coats off to
get it right.

Good luck.

Thank you!

(quoted from post at 18:02:05 12/30/18) I’m going to be purchasing a Farmall H within the next couple weeks. It runs and drives, and looks decent, but I want to tune it up and make it look brand new.

I’m planning on doing a partial restoration (as much as my budget and mechanical skills will allow). Aside from replacing wires, rebuilding the carburetor, etc, I want to re-paint the tractor.

What’s the best way to remove the old paint from the sheet metal and the frame?

Then, when it comes to re-painting, do I use a primer, a paint with hardener, and then a clear finish? What is the general process for re-painting a tractor.

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Congratulations! You'll have to post some pics when you get it. I'm glad you elected to go with a IH. Would've been my second or third choice though.
I cant tell you much about paint. I prefer them original. If not original they should be better than new. That's just my preference a ng d probably why all mine are the way I got them. I have one that I may redo someday as I already bought sheet metal. If I find some good used I may resell it.

Ollie, just curious, what would your 1st or 2nd choice tractor be? I decided on the H because it’s $900 and has good tires.

I agree that sometimes all original is nice, but I want the tractor to look bright and shiny for driving around my property and driving on my neighborhood road. Who knows, maybe I’ll even go to a parade with it.

first the tractor gets stripped, all sheet metal off, wheels off, and small items off . basically down to the engine , trans, and diff. with stuff removed. a sand blaster can be used then but extra care must be taken to make sure all cracks and stuff is plugged to prevent sand entering. that stuff gets into everything. or you can use a blending disc on a grinder. another option is paint remover, but you should have a wash bay. the sheet metal will require a lot of elbow grease and time and sandpaper, and filler. preparation is 90 percent of the job. painting is the easy part if your a painter. yes primer is used once the unit is prepared. all depends on how deep your pockets are and experience as to the final outcome to make it look brand new. be prepared to have a few thousand dollars to spend.

Only sandblast parts you have removed from tractor. NEVER sandblast the main part of the tractor. Too much sand can and will get in and damage things ! Many will say it doesn't but it does. I've seen the damage first hand. Paint striper and a pressure washer will get them clean enough for repaint. Many hear like to use oven cleaner. I have not tried that yet. Hardener is dangerous to use and requires special care in use. I never liked it as the paint seems to chip too easy with it.

I was mainly teasing you. I collect Oliver's but international, john deere or moline are my favorites. I have all but a moline.

An H is a great starting place! Lots around and fairly simple.

Thanks, I like the look of the H! Olivers are also some of my favorites, but they’re more expensive - atleast in my area.

How much money would you expect a paint job on the Farmall H to cost me, all said and done?

I strip the paint from the frame with a scraper, hand wire brush and an angle grinder with a wire wheel. I did the sand blast thing once and that was enough. You can't mask enough to keep the sand out of vital areas. Plus you have a heck of a time getting the sand cleaned out of the hard to reach places. The sheet metal I have sand blasted. Call around and find a powder coating place that does sandblasting. They should be used to sandblasting sheet metal. Working on my fifth Farmall just this way. Its a lot of work, but it relaxing and it keeps me in the shop and out of the house were SWMBO certainly would find something for me to do...

OTJ

There are a variety of different blast media ..... sand blasting is the dangerous one on sheet metal unless you have an experienced hand that
knows what he's doing. If not, you can expect some of the stuff to end up warped and even ruined.

Read the other replys. Sand blasting takes it right down to bare metal
but if you can't take it off the tractor you are playing with fire.
Sand gets everywhere! !!!, Sheet metal you don't want to sand blast.
Way WAY to easy to warp it. Check your local paint store. Sherwin
Williams or such and buy a couple of cans of MARINE STRIPPER. This
stuff is for boats and actually works. Spread some on and leave it for
ten or twenty minutes. It needs to set for awhile. Scrape with a puddy
knife or plastic spreader. For heavens sake use HEAVY rubber gloves
and have good air flow ventilation. Something that does work but gets
everywhere and beyond is baking soda. Guys who do automotive
restoration use it. You can check some of those guys out. Cleanup with
that stuff is water with some vinegar in it. See what other replys you
get. You can also take it to a professional sand blaster guy. They
know far more than all of us put together. Well at least you hope so.

I really dont know much about paint but I imagine if you do all the work around 2-300.
Tractors out your way are probably much more abundant and cheaper than here. Keep your eye on craigslist . Deals come along when you least expect it.

(quoted from post at 18:02:05 12/30/18) I’m going to be purchasing a Farmall H within the next couple weeks. It runs and drives, and looks decent, but I want to tune it up and make it look brand new.

I’m planning on doing a partial restoration (as much as my budget and mechanical skills will allow). Aside from replacing wires, rebuilding the carburetor, etc, I want to re-paint the tractor.

What’s the best way to remove the old paint from the sheet metal and the frame?

Then, when it comes to re-painting, do I use a primer, a paint with hardener, and then a clear finish? What is the general process for re-painting a tractor.

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First thing remove all sheet metal then pressure wash the entire tractor. If you can rent a steam cleaner around my place they rent for about a $100 a day it’s worth it. Go to a dollar general or something like that and buy you about 10-12 cans of oven cleaner spray it down really good with that let it set over night pressure wash again repeat again. The oven cleaner will degrease amd loosen up a lot of the paint and it’s cheap. Take as much off the tractor as possible the more you remove the more you can have sandblasted the H I did I tore all the way down cost me about $350 for sandblasting worth every penny. What you don’t take to sandblasted use a side grinder with a knotted wire brush. What’s not sandblasted wash with a dawn 2-3 times to remove any grease and oil residue make sure to dry it to prevent rust. Prime with a good epoxy primer. Now the epoxy primer needs to be top coated with in 72 hrs of spraying it either with paint or a 2k sandable primer. If you want a show finish use a acrylic enamel with hardener it will have a nice shine. I use ppg Omni or shopline products very forgiving and looks really good. Also wipe everything down between primer and topcoat or primer and primer applications with a grease and wax remover make sure there’s no dust or anything. Also the most important part take a lot of pics of the teardown amd bag and label all bolts so you can have a reference and know what bolts are to be used to reassemble.

oh And a dremel tool with a wire brush works really good in the areas the side grinder can’t get to and an awl

Wow! I couldn’t have asked for any better help than this, thank you!

I think I’ll try a dremel or grinding disc to remove the paint, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll try some other options. I’m probably going to wait until summer to repaint.

here’s the before and after if my H to get your juices flowing a little bit

That looks so good! I hope mine turns out half as good! Did you put new tires on?

Something you might consider, do some major cleaning first. That will have to be done anyway, so it will be a good place to start.

If you can access a hot water/steam blaster, that will cut the easy grease. Or a pressure washer, scraping, wire brushing to get the loose stuff. Oven cleaner, engine cleaner, Purple Power, naphtha, kerosene, diesel... Whatever chemicals you choose will get most of the stuck, baked on grease.

But in the mean time, before disabling it, do some basic checks, give it a good looking over. Look for major issues, like freeze cracked engine block or transmission case, any broken castings. Check all the fluids, check for water in the oil, transmission, differential housing, coolant level and condition, electrical system. Look for oil leaks, coolant leaks, fuel leaks.

Then get it out and drive it around. If it won't run well enough to do so, patch up the easy problems so you can, and put it through the motions. If you plan on using any attachments, try them out, put a load on the PTO and lift. Check the clutch under load, transmission in all gears, brakes, steering...

It is a given that there will be some problems. Any piece of equipment that age will have issues, weather they be normal age related deterioration, or hidden problems that may have been partially repaired by the previous owner. Start making a list of everything you find. From that list you can decide how far you want to go with repairs. Keep in mind what you expect to do with the tractor. If it will be only for show, you can get by with mostly cosmetics, still oil leaks can be difficult to control on a worn out engine. If it will be for light use, you will want to go deeper into dependability. For regular use, best take few shortcuts.

Once you make an evaluation, and decide this is the tractor for you, buy a shop manual! Start reading it, familiarizing yourself with every aspect of the machine. You will be amazed by some of the engineering and design features of the time. The manual will more than pay for itself in mistakes not made!

By the time you do a critical evaluation, then you will have a priority list. Painting may have dropped down the list a ways. No use painting first only to discover it will then need to come apart. The number one priority should be to only take it apart once! Nothing more heartbreaking than having to do something all over because of a simple oversight.

If you really need to do some painting, start with easy sheetmetal and accessories. It will eventually need to be done, and won't be a wasted effort or in the way of later repairs.

Hope this helps, ask lots of questions, let us know how it goes!

Thank you sir! A lot of great information! I already bought a shop manual for the Farmall H so I can know what to look for when I’m checking out the tractor in person.

(quoted from post at 20:06:00 12/30/18)
That looks so good! I hope mine turns out half as good! Did you put new tires on?

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Yes I had to put new tires on it if you notice which I didn’t when I bought it it has 36” rims off of a C that’s why it’s so squatty in the rear end. And I agree use this time to do some cleaning and make sure everything is in good running order evaluate everything and if you need parts you can buy a little at a time to help you on the money as your waiting for summer. Paint the body of the tractor first the cast pieces are more forgiving and will give you some experience before you paint the sheet metal

The early H's came from factory with 36"rubber not 38". I don't think wheels from a C could be made to fit.

(quoted from post at 22:05:57 12/30/18) The early H's came from factory with 36"rubber not 38". I don't think wheels from a C could be made to fit.

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Mine is a 51 model so it came with 38” rims and actually the bolt pattern on the wheel centers is the same as the triangles on c rims where the centers bolt on.

When I talked to my local sand blast guy about doing a tractor he said he would use ground corn husk to keep sand out of seals etc. He said there is also nut shells but they leave an oil that then has to be removed before painting. He just blasted a total truck frame and put on an industrial epoxy primer for $500. It sure saved a lot of time with a little blaster.
Has anyone used a sand blaster that hooks to pressure washer? A friend has one. He can use river sand in it because there is no dust.
Dave

I can't risk using hardener since I have an ongoing problem with chronic leukemia. I have the necessary safety equipment to paint but won't
risk hardener. After the cleaning and prepping is done what paint and paint procedures do you recommend sans the hardener? Thanks

Is hardener dangerous?

Prep is the most important part of painting. All you need is for the surface to be CLEAN and free of material that will flake off. I prefer to wire wheel the chassis using an angle grinder. The sheetmetal would be best to have sandblasted but you could still wire wheel and sand, its just more work. Note how I said "have" sandblasted. I would pay the $100 to have someone else do it... Sandblasting and sanding really sucks... As far as degreasing goes. I use purple power or super clean. Let it soak and power wash off. This will take a couple iterations. I usually knock off as much I can with everything assembled then start taking components off until it is just a rolling chassis. From there, roll it out of the shop and wash again. After you have it on jack stands just use brake cleaner to cut any grease that is still hanging around.

I would agree with the other comments. Give it a good degrease then start finding and fixing whatever problems it has. Then when you go to the finish strip down for paint, replace any other cosmetic components. After the first degrease and run you will start to find seals and gaskets that leak. Better to find them before you paint than after.

There is also a book out there on painting tractors, I think at tractor supply. It really helped when I started out. I would also recommend spending the $ and getting a good set of paint guns (I bought devlibriss ~$150). I started out with northern tool guns which were okay but they are not even in the same ballpark as a couple entry level automotive guns.

As far as paint products go: I use epoxy primer exclusively (summit racing has good stuff at a reasonable price) (epoxy is also pretty compatible with any paint you ever spray), Paint, I like the Case IH brand with hardener and reducer mixed to the proper ratio. A gallon of primer and paint will be more than enough. For sheetmetal you will probably want a surfacer (sandable primer) You will probably need to go to a local autobody supply for this. Also, buy the body filler from the supply house (get "RAGE") not the bondo crap from autozone. This stuff sands a lot easier... Lastly, make sure you have clean, DRY air going to your gun.


I have painted a few Farmalls?

Thanks, I’ll be referencing your post for sure as I’m painting.