1923 FORDSON TRACTOR

I'm still glad I painted it because the bare metal would be steadily rusting away here in humid East Texas. Especially the wheels.

Art, in your instance, if anyone gave me a present like that I would honor their wishes. At least until I was certain I wanted to paint it bad enough that I always saw it all painted up in my mind each and every time I looked at it. At that point, and maybe I'm too patient, I'd say things a bit wistfully..."I really need to put some paint on the ol' gal." or things to that effect. On the other hand, you may decide you like it the way it is and become comfortable with how it looks now. See how you feel about it in a year or so.

Thanks for any help.

To restore or conserve? Not always an easy answer. I think if it is a machine which is in abundance with many examples still around then it doesn't matter quite so much. If it still has evidence of original paint and transfers etc. then it would be a shame to destroy that. I think people at shows often respond better to vintage machinery that has been conserved rather than restored to look like brand new. It's an individual decision. I'd be interested to here what others think.