wizzard said:
what would your defintion of a resto be?
I think the term "restoration" brings about a "Catch 22"...Technically Webster defines "restoration" as: "to bring something back to its former condition".
To me that means to me that to do a "restoration" factory specs must be adhered to on all components: shafts, bearings, engine internals and rubber (if so supplied) not necessarialy using factory supplied parts.
However, here is the Catch 22...anyone that is physically and financially able to bring a machine back to those "factory specs" is not going to settle for the type of paint job that typically came out of the factory. That person is going to do top notch on the paint and sheet metal, even smoothing rough factory casting marks then cover everything with clear coat after 2- 5 coats of paint that in many cases could cost more than the tractor itself did when new.
So is the tractor "fully restored" or not. Factory specs were followed on the mechanicals, but the parts that show (paint) clearly is NOT to original specs.
If you consider factory specs when you do one, do you have to follow ALL the specs, or just the ones you want, then do better than spec on the rest ???
I personally don't consider paint and plugs and minor repair to be a restoration any more than anyone does, I consider that just a re-fresh.
However I don't consider a total mechanical rebuild without paint a restored one either. Now, I am just confused......doggone it Wizzard !!!
By those terms, I have never "restored" anything as time and money always block the plans, so I concentrate on making whatever I am working on a functional and reasonably reliable piece of machinery accepting that to play with the old stuff, you gotta be prepared to make repairs. Just hopefully not too often.
I don't think it really matters anyway (unless you are in a concourse restoration competition), I think its just whatever trips your trigger...and remember there are a lot of triggers out there.
(By the way, I don't know of any concourse competitions for tractors anyway.) So I think we are all good !!!