coming up on first painting/restoration

I have seen tractors where the paint around the filler on the gas tank is bad, where oil leaks have stained the paint in places, and other flaws especially with the Prairie Gold color of a Moline. I don't want this to happen to my tractor. If there is an oil leak (I hope there is not, but it may) I want to be able to clean it off and not stain. I don't want to have to redo the gas tank in the event I would spill a little on it when filling. Am I just wishing for too much or are all these faults related to the quality of the paint, how it was applied, etc.

I would like to spend a little more on the paint to have it done right the first time. Planning on sandblasting most pieces as I will be using new gaskets, so will tear down pretty much everthing.

Also since I have several other tractors that will be coming down the same road in future years would like to learn how to do it to save on the cost there and just cause I want to say that "I did this". What advice can some of you who have been where I am now give me?

Your question on paint staining is a good one. You are not wishing for too much. In my opinion it is not an issue of paint "quality" as such, nor is it a problem in application. It is one of paint chemistry. I don't mean to split semantic hairs here. There are varying quality levels within each paint chemistry class. Synthetic enamels and acrylic enamels without hardeners will have a tendency to stain. It's the nature of the beast. Adding a hardener increases the stain resistance. Acrylic urethanes actually require a hardener and they are naturally resistent to staining. Of course this comes at a cost. If you have read previous posts on isocyanates, you will know that the biggest cost to achieve this resistence for the casual painter is the cost of respiratory safety equipment. The minimum cost for a decent fresh air system is $400-$500. There is also the additional cost of the paint products themselves but that is not as great (again for the casual painter) as properly outfitting oneself with the necessary safety equipment.

This is my own personal opinion: If you want to do it "right" and have it last, with the best resistence to staining, then think about getting a fresh air system and using an acrylic urethane such as PPG OMNI MTK (DuPont NASON has a similar product). This will give you a very durable finish that is quite cost effective. You can spend more on the paint but the cost/benefit of doing so is debatable for the DIY and certainly should not be done by foregoing the fresh air system in order to get a "better" paint.

As you do, I just like to do things myself. I get a lot of personal satisfaction out of it.

Good luck,

Rod