Were there any differences in hood construction over the years for the "late" styled B that would help date a hood?
Reason for asking is I'm trying to figure out if the hood on my '49 B is original to the tractor, or if it was replaced at some point with a later hood.
I recently stripped two layers of paint off the hood, the original factory layer, and one repaint. The original location of the "John Deere" lettering on the side of the hood was then easy to see in the pattern of rust spots. The decals on the hood were near the front of the tractor, which according to some experts indicates the hood is from November 1949 or later. According to the John Deere records, the tractor has a warehouse date of July 6, 1949.
Could the hood have been replaced as some point? Sure. Is that likely? Based on the overall condition of the tractor and hood, no, not likely. All physical evidence indicates they have been together for many years.
Will any of this make the tractor look or run any better? Of course not, but sometimes it's fun to play archaeologist on old iron!
Reason for asking is I'm trying to figure out if the hood on my '49 B is original to the tractor, or if it was replaced at some point with a later hood.
I recently stripped two layers of paint off the hood, the original factory layer, and one repaint. The original location of the "John Deere" lettering on the side of the hood was then easy to see in the pattern of rust spots. The decals on the hood were near the front of the tractor, which according to some experts indicates the hood is from November 1949 or later. According to the John Deere records, the tractor has a warehouse date of July 6, 1949.
Could the hood have been replaced as some point? Sure. Is that likely? Based on the overall condition of the tractor and hood, no, not likely. All physical evidence indicates they have been together for many years.
Will any of this make the tractor look or run any better? Of course not, but sometimes it's fun to play archaeologist on old iron!
