To restore or not that is the question.....??

I have a awesome little d15 series 2 that was a cheap barn find that was left outside a lot straight but not rusted out and I’m leaning towards restoring it. Opinions....?

Restore or just repaint there is a major difference. Look at the paint this way, the tractor is a little shy of 60 years old if you do a quality job on the paint it will last 60 more. If you leave it alone in 60 years you will have a rust bucket.

Was thinking a hybrid restoration.. straightening metal keeping as much as I can original on parts/bolts as I can. Before they stopped using it there was an engine rebuild and a new hand clutch and it does not jump out of gears so it would just be surface stuff which is really nice.

I would vote for a repaint job.  It is in good mechanical shape and paint job would not cost that much.  You would have a beautiful tractor when you get done.   I like shiny  tractors.

Edited by festus51 - 02 Mar 2020 at 5:08pm

Just sold the only tractor I’ve ever restored which was this one and I’m getting the itch again lol

I'd say,, if its in good mechanical shape,,and your not liking the original'patina',,, do a quality repaint,, use hi quality paint,(no farm store stuff) pro painter,,etc., you will have a tractor that will live for your great grandkids...

Edited by Michael V (NM) - 02 Mar 2020 at 8:27pm

Maybe it's my eyes, but it looks pretty rusty to me. I'd vote for a good cleaning/strip to bare metal, prime and paint with good PPG paint. 

I agree with Ed. I bought one of my 200’s it looked pitiful and I haven’t had time to paint it but I bought a new decal set and put on it to try to make it look better. Worked pretty good I have had it two years and still haven’t made time to paint it yet!

John, that looks really nice and well taken care of. I would not want to paint that one either. The one the op showed definitely needs a paint job lol!

This is always a touchy subject and can only be answered by the owner. What is your vision of how you want your tractor to look like? Original or a nice repaint? I had this same issue with my 190XT. She was rough, sit outside for the past few years neglected. After much mechanical repair, I decided she deserved a new paint job. No paint can on her, spent 4 months preparing her. Sandblasting, straightening sheet metal, etching primer, primer, 4 coats of PPG paint. I am so proud of my hard work. She is beautiful in my eyes and I have had many complements. She works hard on our small farm but also looks darn good doing it. Her value went way up but she will never be sold.
Now my WD, in her work clothes. Here is the difference IMO. Paid $300 for her, non running, but new rubber on the rear< fresh oil change in 2004. Last time she was ran. $200 later I had her running like a she is suppose to. Used it all last year with no issues. Now, she would look real good with a new paint job, but the return or value is not there. Although I don't plan to sell her, I would never get my money back if I paint it. WD-45 would be different. No doubt I would do a mechanical do over and paint job. A series II D-15,I would have no problem going all out. They bring good money if you decide to sell it, or if you plan to keep it. Our dads series II D-15 received a new paint job 5. years ago and she still looks good. Pictures of our parents beside it are priceless as they purchased it new in 1968. She will never be sold as long as my brothers and I are alive.
My point is, only you can make this decision. What does it mean to you? If your happy with her in work clothes, then leave her that way. If it’s a financial decision(value on return), then defiantly look a that. And then there is the who cares if it makes sense it makes me happy option. That’s the right decision, because ultimately that’s ALL that matters.

Jk chalmers wrote: I have a awesome little d15 series 2 that was a cheap barn find that was left outside a lot straight but not rusted out and I’m leaning towards restoring it. Opinions....?

I questioned painting my 1965 1206 too. It has been on this farm since 1974 and has been a great tractor with original engine. We cut polished the hood and side panels and the paint perked up pretty good and left the Turbo decals original. Then we started sanding and painting the worst of the worn parts like wheels, axles, frame and the farther we went, the more we saw that it looked so much better after painting. My opinion. In the end we painted everything except the hood and side panels and would have saved a lot of prep time and remasking if we had done it all from the beginning. Good luck with your project!

Yes it is a 1952 WD. It was mainly Used to mow and rake hay. Also had a post driver on the nose as the mount is still there. I removed the side tank the driver dumped into. I recently purchased a 82-S side mount mower for it.
The XT is a 1968. My pride and joy.

I restore tractors for a living, and personally believe that there is no right or wrong here. A lot has to do with how you plan on using it. If it is a work tractor, service it and work it. If you decide later on to restore it, you can do that too. If it were a family heirloom, the decision would be much harder. As mentioned before, restoring them helps to ensure that it will be around a long time. That said, it is also true that they are only "original" once. If it were mine and I had work it could do, I would service it up and work it and ponder the restoration question for now.