Paint

[gjpgonzo]

Ok I have found the paint charts here in the forum, but I can understand them for the life of me. I have a 59 McCormic Farmall Cub what color red do I need to get, and what type of paint does anyone suggest?

[ShawnAgne]

I used the IH Red from Tractor Supply, also used their white. If you're going to clear coat need to wait 7 days so it cures before you do it. Used that because the store is close. Looks nice.

[Jason (IL)]

Case IH 2150 Red. Use hardner also. Helps really make it shine and helps with fading. Also use a respirator while spraying with good ventilation.

[Slim140]

Use either IH paint or car paint. Tractor Supply paint sucks. It will fade in no time.

[Don McCombs]

Also use a respirator while spraying with good ventilation.

An ordinary respirator will afford no protection from the isocyanate in automotive paint hardener. You need a full body protective suit and a supplied air breathing system.

[gitractorman]

I'll second what Chipmaker said, Tractor Supply paint is pretty awful and fades fast. Depending on what you're doing and how much effort you put into it, I'd buy the best paint you can afford. I've had really good success with Case IH Iron Guard paint and it holds up VERY well. Paint is just the finishing touch though, and all the work that goes into getting a tractor ready to paint is the hard part. That's why, after doing all the hard work, I'd put on the best paint you can afford. Also, I highly recommend the Case IH primer, and recommend that whatever top coat paint you go with, make sure to ask and buy the recommended primer.

I painted all of the cast iron parts with Iron Guard spray cans and I had a retired auto/body painter do the hood and sheet metal on my last Cub, and he was very impressed with the Iron Guard primer and paint. He said the primer was really easy to work with, builds nice and sands out nice. Here's a pic of the finished project:

[kenscub]

I bought a quart of TSC IH red last month. Paint is the right color, but, it is cheap quality paint. Very little pigment in the color. It takes 3 costs to cover even the light grey primer - and that is with a brush. Heaven knows how many coats spraying might take. Wont go that route again. ken

[Matt Kirsch]

Tractor Supply now sells RustOleum brand in addition to the cheap "Majic" garbage that I think everyone is talking about.

They used to sell Valspar which was pretty good, especially their "Restoration Series" paint. I've still got 1-1/2 gallons of it to paint my '53 Super M. Gotta get to it this spring.

[DickB]

Perhaps a bit of help from me...here it is. The original paint was on it's way out...rust here and there, dull paint. Talking with a local restoration guy about what to do for a non-show working tractor to be repainted with benefit of a quality spraying...just brushes, here was his list which I followed to the letter. Sand by hand all old paint and rust down to bare metal. Follow that with 2 coats of "heavy rust" (or some wording close to that) "metal primer" by Rustoleum. Brushed on with toss away bristle brushes and light sanding of each coat. Followed that with 2 coats of IH red paint bought at the IH-Case dealer, brushed on with a toss away foam "Jen" brush and light sanding of the first coat. That was done about 8 years ago and it is still looking okay...down a bit from "looks perfect" from about 10' away. In a few years it would be wise of me to repeat the process.

Tractor used all the time ... from garden work to haying to snow plowing to hauling carts around. Lots of chances for scratches and dings and it is holding up pretty darned good.