Need advice on 701 restoration

[Sailman 1,129]

So after years of no "round hoods" in my region I scored a survivor 704 that will need a lot of work. Just before Christmas I landed an "original" unmolested 701 complete with all correct belt guards. Seller said it had been a worker in his family as long as he could remember but spent the last 10 years in a storage building. While I have a tremendous respect and awe for the restorations I see folks on here do....what I want is a "preservation" on the 701. The patina is so nice I just want to keep the tractor in as original condition as possible. I have a few questions for the experts.

1. I have found taking a dab of 3M rubbing compound and very damp rag helps do the deep clean after the first cleaning. While it removes hardly any paint I find it cleans the grunge, actually brings back a bit of a shine and allows the paint to absorb the aerosol oil treatment. Anybody have comments pro or con?

2. There are some bolts that will have to be replaced. Is over the counter bolts an issue or do I need to track down OEM bolts?

3. I have a few parts (primarily the tool box and seat support that were pretty rusted. I have cleaned up the rust and they are solid underneath but what should I do to restore? New paint?...clear coat over the metal?....ideas?

 

Pictures are of the 3M rub on one side of the fender, Gen guard belt after rub down and oil treatment and last 2 are the badly rusted parts. All suggestions appreciated! 

[squonk 38,905]

I wouldn't use oil on the paint. It ends up on you and attracts dust like a magnet. Then when you try to get the dust off you got a mess. You spend time to clean the grunge then put more grunge on. I would put a coat or 2 of Penetrol. It dries smooth and clear. Then dust and dirt just wipes off.

Edited May 20, 2023 by squonk

[Sailman 1,129]

Sounds like a good idea. I have a C-120 with badly rusted patina that I have coated with oil just to keep it from getting worse and it does attract dust, etc. Will try the penetrol.

[SylvanLakeWH 24,118]

39 minutes ago, squonk said:

I wouldn't use oil on the paint. It ends up on you and attracts dust like a magnet. Then when you try to get the dust off you got a mess. You spend time to clean the grunge then put more grunge on. I would put a coat or 2 of Penetrol. It dries smooth and clear. Then dust and dirt just wipes off.

Just did it today on my new NOS A-60. Did it for years on our fiberglass boats. The stuff works.

 

 

[Sailman 1,129]

Did some research on the penetrol. Sounds like I can use it to seal the bare metal parts too.

[Wheel-N-It 2,967]

So did you find your 701 in Georgia? Probably pretty rare there. I never considered looking for a 701 here where I live, but one day when I was not expecting it,  I met a guy who was a cub cadet collector and he had a 701 for sale.. He had no idea what a 701 was, and was priced just to get rid of it. Not seen another one around here since. 

I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your progress.

[Tonytoro416 952]

I’m far from an expert on anything really but my dad has done body work and paint my entire life. And personally the toolbox and that where you have pitted rust I would try to seal up with something. My dad has always described rust like cancer. If not sealed up or cut out and sealed up or killed IT WILL spread. He is one of few actual body men I know of left.   Most people in body shops now are panel replacers.  My dad come from the era of using lead on vehicles 

[Sailman 1,129]

19 hours ago, Wheel-N-It said:

So did you find your 701 in Georgia? Probably pretty rare there. I never considered looking for a 701 here where I live, but one day when I was not expecting it,  I met a guy who was a cub cadet collector and he had a 701 for sale.. He had no idea what a 701 was, and was priced just to get rid of it. Not seen another one around here since. 

I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your progress.

 

 Actually drove up the road to Greenville SC to get the 701. I wonder if there might have been a wheel horse dealer in that area at one time. I see an unusually larger number of WH for sale in that area. Shortly after I scored the 701 there was another 701 in that area for sale. It did not have an engine but looked pretty complete. Believe it or not, the owner had a 7 HP diesel engine that went with the deal. He was planning to install it and lost interest. I wanted SO BAD to rescue it but it was right before Christmas and it got sold before I could move on it. About a month later I saw a chopped up  701 with a 7 HP diesel engine and a John Deere rear end for sale in that area.... My guess it was the same one....

[Sailman 1,129]

9 hours ago, Tonytoro416 said:

I’m far from an expert on anything really but my dad has done body work and paint my entire life. And personally the toolbox and that where you have pitted rust I would try to seal up with something. My dad has always described rust like cancer. If not sealed up or cut out and sealed up or killed IT WILL spread. He is one of few actual body men I know of left.   Most people in body shops now are panel replacers.  My dad come from the era of using lead on vehicles 

 

Good advice. Do you think a couple coats of the penetrol  would do it or something more like a clear coat? I see a lot of rat rods using penetrol over rusted parts.

[Wheel-N-It 2,967]

31 minutes ago, Sailman said:

 

 Actually drove up the road to Greenville SC to get the 701. I wonder if there might have been a wheel horse dealer in that area at one time. I see an unusually larger number of WH for sale in that area. Shortly after I scored the 701 there was another 701 in that area for sale. It did not have an engine but looked pretty complete. Believe it or not, the owner had a 7 HP diesel engine that went with the deal. He was planning to install it and lost interest. I wanted SO BAD to rescue it but it was right before Christmas and it got sold before I could move on it. About a month later I saw a chopped up  701 with a 7 HP diesel engine and a John Deere rear end for sale in that area.... My guess it was the same one....

 

Oh yes, good old Greenville South Carolina. I'm familiar with that area. Congratulations on your 701 score. My advice for you is if the drive belt is a little hard to disengage use a belt guard from a later model such as a 753. They have an extra tab welded on at the crankshaft end of the belt guard. It works alot better at stopping the belt than the one used on the 701. If you go to the big show this year you can probably pick one up for $20bucks or so. That's what I did. Hang on to your old belt guard though. You'll need it if you ever sell your tractor, to keep it original.

[kpinnc 10,706]

23 hours ago, Wheel-N-It said:

So did you find your 701 in Georgia? Probably pretty rare there. I never considered looking for a 701 here where I live, but one day when I was not expecting it,  I met a guy who was a cub cadet collector and he had a 701 for sale.. He had no idea what a 701 was, and was priced just to get rid of it. Not seen another one around here since. 

 

Charlotte was actually the distribution center for Wheel Horse in the southeast for many years. There were dealerships all over NC for a long time. 

 

I've owned two 701s, and seen more other roundhoods than one might expect here. I'm always surprised myself by how many. 

 

But- it's strange how just 100 miles SE from here, folks have never heard of a Wheel Horse.