Paint the fins, or not?

[finsruskw]

ooooookayeeee!! 'Scuse me all to pieces then!

[raytasch]

My take? If you are building a show tractor where the most work it will do is pull itself on and off the trailer, paint them. So far as I know, there are no judging standards that may consider that paint as over restoration on a tractor.
On the other side, if you are building a working machine, forget the paint. Probably would not make a nickel's worth of difference but it is going to get dirty anyway.

[drglinski]

If it's my tractor, no paint.

If it's yours, do what you wish.

[DoubleO7]

This is my take on it all.............

Grass and dirt clogged fins is no way to compare the effects of painted fins versus unpainted fins. Air flow is still present with painted fins and not with the grass and debris.
And paint is not going to insulate and prevent heat transfer unless it contains air bubbles. As in a foamy layer of paint. Or maybe six + thick coats, etc.
One or two coats of regular paint is not going to cause over heating.
The paint might bring the engine up to operating temp. sooner but will also become heat soaked (and no longer an insulator) and be radiating heat as fast as it is being absorbed. Un obstructed fins, (painted or not) will still radiate the same amount of heat and with the designed proper air flow will do it's job.

[IHCadetCollector]

[Sam Mac]

I would do it the way it came from the factory, but what do I know.

[64fleetside]

The factory left my head and hydro pretty bare but had some over spray on both.
What kind of oil should I use since mine are mostly unpainted?

[Sam Mac]

Originally Posted by 64fleetside

The factory left my head and hydro pretty bare but had some over spray on both.
What kind of oil should I use since mine are mostly unpainted?

85/140W should work