B-80 to C-160 to B-80

[Lee1977 6,659]

18 hours ago, Racinbob said:

I'm strongly leaning in that direction. Besides, I like to try using a hvlp spray gun with some Rusty Regal and hardener. I've had the gun for years and have never tried it. 

I painted this one with a HF gun with Rustoleum IH red, Acetone and hardener.

[squonk 41,104]

What clear are you using? I'm no painter and aren't doing anything special. But working at Napa I made and sold a lot of paint and listened to every body shop guy I ran into. Hardener seems to make the enamel dry faster but it still seems brittle to me. I think maybe the Rustoleum maybe is a low solids paint.

 

I just painted this blower housing for my 1467 a couple of weeks ago. It's replacing a dented one. I got it at the show last year and screwed up and painted it Regal Red with clear over it. About an hour after I did it I remembered I had painted the tractor a slightly different red. It was a color I picked out in a chip book at Napa and I sprayed it as a single stage Urethane. So I let the housing sit 6 months or so. I got a spray can of the red I used mixed up at Napa and then tested things. Took a piece of metal and sprayed Regal Red and cleared it and let it sit a few weeks. Then I sprayed the Napa paint over the Rustoleum and cleared that with the Rustoleum clear. Looked great so went ahead and sprayed the Napa paint with the Rustoleum clear right over the year old paint with no sanding or scuffing. I think it came out pretty decent. I got a run it it but I'm not to worried about it as the hood will hide some of it.

 

 

 

[Pullstart 62,863]

1 hour ago, Racinbob said:

 

I'm pulled in that direction too. For years when we visited our kids in Walkerton I would often see the neighbor mowing but I didn't know it was my tractor. He was too far away. They had 5 acres and he mowed all of it 1-2 times a week. Shortly before moving back up here in 2017 we were planning a trip up to visit and my daughter said Larry asked if I'd look at his tractor when I was up there. Ya gotta ask?? I had restored a Commando 800 for our grandson and he loved it. I went over there and was shocked to see that it was my old tractor. I drove the Commando over there and knew the second I pulled in the driveway. That was the first time I had met him and we really hit it off. He really took care of his stuff and we had so many similarities like tractors, firearms, woodworking, OCD and more.. A year or so after we moved back he was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and only lasted a couple months. I helped his wife, Louan, with a few things and when she told me that it was Larry's favorite tractor and he'd only want one person to have it. It was a happy, sad moment. It had the 48" deck that I had purchased new in about 1980 and, in spite of the tremendous amount of mowing it was 100% rust free. After every mowing I always scraped the clumped grass off allowing it to air dry. I figured he must have too. I asked Louan and she said 'I don't know but he was always under there doing something after he mowed'. We were two peas in a pod. I pondered doing a refurb at that time but I hesitated because that tractor and deck would not have still been in that condition had it not been for him and his finicky ways. It was my little tribute to guy who would have been a great friend. That's still on my mind. 

I am probably more sentimental to other’s things than I need to be, but that kind of seals the deal… it should stay.  

[ebinmaine 67,487]

21 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

I am probably more sentimental to other’s things than I need to be, but that kind of seals the deal… it should stay.  

 

 

@Racinbob

With a story like that I'd agree. 

Might not be quite perfect but the imperfections are constant reminders of the past you've had with the tractor and owner. 

 

 

[Lee1977 6,659]

If you want to make it look better then when you bought it new, I say go for it. The memory of your friend will still be there. 

Bill that gave me the 312-8 died Friday. He had been fighting cancer for a about three years. He didn't give up easy had still been going to Thursday night music where he played until two weeks ago. I started taking him in March when he didn't trust himself to drive.  I had spent most Sunday afternoon with him for a number of years. His wife had dementia and he cared for her, couldn't talk her because he have to answer the same question five or six times. He was in the Airforce for twenty years. I was a short timer with the Navy. Spent time in Vietnam and the far East. He was given the tractor about six years back and gave it to me back in January. So to protect it plan to paint it as it has a lot of rusted areas that were already there when Bill got it.

Edited June 16 by Lee1977

[Racinbob 11,079]

I've decided to leave it as in. A conversation with my daughter, who lived next to Louan and Larry  this afternoon pretty much sealed the deal. When we were living in Florida they were kinda their local parents. A bit more than they needed or wanted but they meant well. I'll pressure wash it good when I get the engine off. It doesn't have any rust on it and a lot of people that see it in person say how nice it looks. Besides, I'll be pushing dirt, brush and logs in the woods with it as well as snow so I won't have to fret over it. 

[Marv 924]

27 minutes ago, Racinbob said:

I've decided to leave it as in. A conversation with my daughter, who lived next to Louan and Larry  this afternoon pretty much sealed the deal. When we were living in Florida they were kinda their local parents. A bit more than they needed or wanted but they meant well. I'll pressure wash it good when I get the engine off. It doesn't have any rust on it and a lot of people that see it in person say how nice it looks. Besides, I'll be pushing dirt, brush and logs in the woods with it as well as snow so I won't have to fret over it. 

Bob,

I don't want to hijack your thread here. I am just trying to show how the feelings work here. I have my daddy's B80. It had a good working life. When daddy died I got the tractor. I built a 16 horse and put on it so my son could mow his three acres. He wound up getting a larger tractor. So, my son in law used it. When he decided he wanted a "new' tractor (B80/C160 was still going strong)  I got it back. I used it for several years myself. I then decided (because of nostalgia) it needed a rest. I did a nut and bolt restoration  and installed a 14 horse on it. It is now a B80/C140 I painted it with Valspar International Harvester red. No hardener or clear coat.  I hadn't at that time heard of Squonk's method. It is now kept under cover in remembrance of daddy.

If I stepped out of bounds here. I apologize.

Marv

[Racinbob 11,079]

6 minutes ago, Marv said:

Bob,

I don't want to hijack your thread here. I am just trying to show how the feelings work here. I have my daddy's B80. It had a good working life. When daddy died I got the tractor. I built a 16 horse and put on it so my son could mow his three acres. He wound up getting a larger tractor. So, my son in law used it. When he decided he wanted a "new' tractor (B80/C160 was still going strong)  I got it back. I used it for several years myself. I then decided (because of nostalgia) it needed a rest. I did a nut and bolt restoration  and installed a 14 horse on it. It is now a B80/C140 I painted it with Valspar International Harvester red. No hardener or clear coat.  I hadn't at that time heard of Squonk's method. It is now kept under cover in remembrance of daddy.

If I stepped out of bounds here. I apologize.

Marv

It's not possible to hijack one of my threads Marv. That's a great story. Thanks for sharing it. All the years I had the 16hp on mine I wanted to have Terry make up some B-160 8 Speed tower decals but I never did. I took the original B-80 tower decals off when I first did the swap and now I regret it.

[Racinbob 11,079]

Had a fun day today. I drove up to Middleville to see @Pullstart and pick up the K-181 engine I'm going to use on this revert back project. I think it's going to be great. It didn't hit me until I got home that I have the option of using the freshly painted red tins from the 181 I swapped out on the 854. The black looks fine so I can go either way. The things some guys have to ponder. 

Even better was chatting with Kevin and seeing the shop where he does his magic. The old saying "He who dies with the most toys.....wins". Well, I think Kevin is in the lead. So cool seeing everything and hearing the stories. There wasn't nearly enough time as I didn't want to interfere with his tee time. Another highlight was meeting his lovely wife. It was brief as she was on her way to work. But guys, I can vouch for him. Those of you who figured he must have photoshopped her into his pictures to improve his image, he didn't. 

Let's not forget the awesome sound of that turbocharged Suburban as she pulled out the drive. 

Thanks for a fun morning Kevin. 

 

 

Edited June 18 by Racinbob

[ebinmaine 67,487]

That's awesome!

[adsm08 2,056]

On 6/16/2024 at 6:50 AM, Racinbob said:

 

I've always used Rusty in cans too and get great results like this Suburban hood. 

 

 

But it's just not very durable. That's why I was thinking hardener. Every time I've tried clear over I have issues. Either orange peel or cloudy. I'm doing something wrong. Does the clear add to the durability?

 

Clear coat helps with UV protection for the base coat.

 

Cloud in a clear coat is usually caused by excessive moisture in the air.

[Racinbob 11,079]

Had a chance to get back to this project. Got the 341 pulled. I haven't decided if I'm going to open up the top or not. For now I want to get the reborn B-80 done. 

 

 

Got it down to a rolling chassis. The electrical was showing it's age so I removed all of it. I'll do a complete rewire. I'll degrease and pressure wash it real good. I'm still pondering how far I want to go. You guys talked me out of a full resto due to this tractors history. Now I'm thinking about Flood Penetrol. Do the frame first and see if I like it. The hood is another thing. The repaint someone did just isn't good but it looks OK from 10'. Patina isn't there but the surface wasn't properly prepped prior to the paint. It looks like it was coursed sanded then painted. You can get the idea here. 

 

 

Now, short of a total repaint how do you think the Flood would do on it? Should I just go over it or lighting sand with a fine grit first? Or should I simply leave it as is? 

[Lane Ranger 10,968]

Bob. I used that flood penetrol with a quart can of Rustoleum Regal Red several years ago on a 1054.  I bought a very good bristle paint brush and I thought the job came out great and the finish dried very smooth.

 

 

[Racinbob 11,079]

Cool Lane. But I'm thinking just the Flood. I've been watching some videos and the results look good. Much like a linseed oil rub down but with benefits. It seems to work great on patina. I would think somebody here has tried it. Doing the frame should give me a good idea how it looks without committing the sheetmetal to it. 

 

Edited July 9 by Racinbob

[Lane Ranger 10,968]

Ok. It is not as thick as boiled linseed oil and I would think it would have to be reapplied regularly.   But let’s see how it does. 

[Racinbob 11,079]

One video I watched was a guy did half of his truck with Flush and the other half with boiled linseed. A year later the Flush was holding up much better. We can believe that cuz we saw it on the internet...........

I'll experiment and report back. 

[ebinmaine 67,487]

13 hours ago, Racinbob said:

 I would think somebody here has tried it

@squonk  ?

[953 nut 55,226]

14 hours ago, Racinbob said:

We can believe that cuz we saw it on the internet........

If it was on the internet it must be true.         

[squonk 41,104]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

@squonk  ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Racinbob 11,079]

Got the rolling chassis degreased and pressure washed yesterday. The steering was surprisingly tight considering the age but as long as I have it this far I'm going to put bushings in it. I picked up a new 6472 bearing for it as well. I made new tie rods not long before the engine issue. Just for giggles I picked up some 6000k led bulbs for it. 

 

[Racinbob 11,079]

Drained the tranny. Hope I got all of it past the humpy thingy. 

 

 

Then a couple of 80w90 IV's.

 

 

Parts are arriving and I'll be putting it back together again real soon. 

[ebinmaine 67,487]

3 minutes ago, Racinbob said:

Drained the tranny. Hope I got all of it past the humpy thingy. 

 

 

 

Mebbe......

[Racinbob 11,079]

Had a chance to play with this one this morning. Got the @Pullstart B-80 mounted along with a few of the components. The charging harness is a plug and play into my rectifier. This shroud is screaming to try out the Kohler USA decals @Vinylguy makes so I have that on order.

 

 

When I parked this tractor in the barn as I decided what to do with it I pulled the @wheelhorseman receiver hitch and put it on the 314-H but now that I'm reviving this one I swapped it back. It will be better utilized. You can see a peek of the one on my 2005.  

 

[Racinbob 11,079]

I'm waiting on a couple parts for this one. I wasn't going to open up the carb but I decided to since I knew it had been sitting for quite a spell. Probably a good thing I did. I'm guessing booze in the fuel did it's thing. A good soaking and a new kit and it should be good to go (forgot the after pics). Hopefully the fuse block I ordered will get here today and I can get this one wrapped up.

 

[ebinmaine 67,487]

6 hours ago, Racinbob said:

I wasn't going to open up the carb but I decided to since I knew it had been sitting for quite a spell. Probably a good thing I did

 

Glad you did that Bob.  

I'm at a point where EVERY carb gets rebuilt. Along with ALL new fuel line. 

Amongst many other things.....