Model 70 Restoration project
 

I bought this tractor for it's new owner (my son) about 8 years ago. He could touch the pedals and happier than a pig in slop at the time. The tractor had some problems which needed to be repaired but as you can see, my son seemed to be happy with his new toy. Yes, from a safety perspective he already knew how to drive a tractor. Now he was getting one. In the below pic he is 6 and currently he is 13 and mows multiple yards with different tractors within our community.
As for the 70, I got it completely operational and mowed my yard with it for a few years before taking it apart for it's rebuild / facelift.

Ok, the first thing was to take this tractor apart. I don't have any pic's of this but I can say it was somewhat of a challenge due to rust and over sometimes 50 years of it....
The next step was to clean off any grease and prime. Since this Old-Girl was getting a 50 year make-over I decided to use a good epoxy primer and used PPG as the topcoat. If this was a show tractor, I would have used a two part base clear, but this machine is meant to be used for work.
Here are the parts being done. First was to treat the frame with rust stopper. This liquid was brushed on and allowed to dry. Then I hung the frame up in the garage for priming.

Next step was to prime all the main components. All the small parts like the spindles also got primed, but I didn't include a pic of that process. Next came the real fun part------sanding.........

The primer I used has allot of pigment for filling minor voids. OK, this is a tractor and not a car.....I used a block sanding block just because it was easier on frame. Prepping the hood, which is the show piece I paid attention to detail and maybe was a little to anal, but I'll let you guy's decide. I used dual spot lights shining down the hood looking for any flaws or dents in the lines of the frame. What ever I found where filled with glazing putty.

A friend of mine does metal and fiberglass fabrication. He allowed me to use his paint booth for painting the big stuff. Other parts where painted behind a shed at my house.

Here is what the painted parts look like. I used the original color codes of 901 white and federal yellow. I was able to cross these over to PPG codes without a problem. I was quite happy with how the tire rims cam out.

A form member named Merk helped me with the 901 white which I used. Once this color was sprayed, it looked somewhat olive-white. I had expected this to be white and without any tint. Thanks Merk for the help and clarification.

The the remaining other parts got primed and painted. I took a suggestion and waited a few months after painting these parts to let them harden and cure completely before I started re-assembly.

Kool:beerchug:
Always enjoy seeing pictures of others "restorations".:beer2:
Looks good, it'll be ready for another 50 years.:ThumbsUp:

Looks great!

My oldest is 4 and youngest 1. I hope to have a nice looking set of Cubs for them to take to their homes and use some day. I'll be sure to give them plenty of seat time growing up, you know to create nostalgia and all :D

Looking GREAT so far! Keep posting those pics!