Restoring A Tractor

A weekly 4 part series by Dan Peterman
Part 3
Our experience concerning sandblasting a complete tractor without disassembling it later has not been good. There really isn't any foolproof way sand can be kept from getting into the wrong places-even if the axles, pulley, and flywheel seals are duct-taped. Sand will work into every crack, crevice, and hole imaginable, no matter how carefully you prepare before sandblasting. The only way we will consider sandblasting a complete tractor is if we are going to follow up with a complete disassembly and a "from-ground-up" restoration. Even then, good quality work with a sandblaster is a skill. Feather touch and light, gentle passes. A tractor isn't a steel bridge, being heavy-handed with a sandblaster will negatively affect the final product.

Typically we begin by simply power washing the tractor. Then we remove the sheet metal parts and anything else that will come off without a lot of trouble, and power wash the tractor a second time. The parts that were removed are carefully sandblasted, and we proceed to "detail" the still-assembled chassis by physically removing paint, rust, and foreign material with several types of hand and power tools: angle grinders, wire brushes, die grinders with wire wheels, scrapers, sanders, etc. It takes longer than sandblasting, but provides excellent results.

We then power wash the tractor again to remove any oil, grease, and residue; blow it dry to keep it from rusting; and use a rust "destroyer" on particularly rusty areas that both kills rust on contact and helps primer to bond better. Different brands of rust destroyers have different instructions, so be caareful to read and follow them.

Next we apply a coat of Martin Senour Vinyl Wash, a two-part, self-etching primer that provides excellent corrosion resistance and promotes ashesion. The material is transparent olive green, and carries product number 8827. Essentially, it keeps bare metal from rusting. We do not paint directly over Vinyl Wash, but first use and epoxy-type sealer. The tractor is now ready to be painted, and we have discovered that the process as described above provides and ideal surface for superior paint adhesion.