Just to add to the grill colour debate.

[Brian]

Fordson Dexta pictures from original promotional film.

[Broadspeed]

Interesting Always tought that the Dextas imported to Finland had a grey/white grills (not depending on wheel colours) might this Dexta in pictures be some kindgirl of early prototype?

[kiwiland dexta]

Green sky..really...?
Green Dexta...

[shawnee]

I like cnh ford blue and blp orange

http://s1042.photobucket.com/user/Silve ... f.jpg.html

[SkidRoe]

Blue muffler too. I like blue, but some contrast is nice ...

[SkidRoe]

Is it just me, or is that top picture a mirror image?

[oehrick]

Unless its the lh drive prototype with the exhaust on the drivers right you look to be right SR................

The number of reversed prints in original documentation is surprising, no doubt the sales / graphics guys prize look over authenticity

As for the colour, it is noted in the Haynes alleged E1A Manual that many of the original negatives had changed colour (as have some of my early slides which are much younger) when taken they may well have been on the cheapest stock available as they were not expected to become archive documents.

Brian, I have been looking at the Doe restoration article in the new comic (T&M) and while the quality of the restoration work is very high and value judgements on what to restore / conserve / replace cannot be easy the overall finish made me wonder. with the various bits of plating and new plated bolts etc being used, how many judges at future events will regard this as points adding, whereas (I presume) you knowing that splash it on all over was the Ford paintshop way would perhaps reduce marks as this bulling uo is non original - do you judge and if so does this cause problems against other makes where original painting was to a higher standard ?
(regardless of colour )

[Brian]

The pictures are from the original Ford promotional film although, (cannot hide anything from you lot) one of the prints I have is a reversed image. As I have said before many times, I do not care whether you paint your tractor with polka dots, it is your tractor, but if you are going to enter it in a show AS AN ORIGINAL RESTORATION, then it has to be as it left the factory, if it is to gain the top prize. IMHO.

Many modification have taken place to keep tractors running over the years, that is fine but it is not concourse, Two pack paint is another thing, even tractors at Smithfield and Royal Shows had blemishes in the paint work like "orange peel" and small "sags" because this was the problem with paint technology at the time of production and, even if they were going on the show stand, they are still TRACTORS.

So zinc plated bolts would be marked down by me if I were a judge.

I have a very good friend who has a petrol Dexta. It is painted blue and grey. The engine is a 1960 unit with a serial number not far from Dotty. The clutch housing, gear box, rear axle, lift and axle shaft housings all have casting codes from late 1963. So my query is its originality and, when painted, will it be concourse no matter how fine the paintwork. Will it be worth the same as another friend's who has a 1964 version totally original?

Do I judge? No, not since I was asked to judge a ploughing match a few years ago. The going was a bit difficult and the "expected" winner, who always won (?) was marked down on the quality of his work because the stubble sticking out of every furrow and not turned in, whilst the eventual winner had near perfect furrows. Caused a bit of a problem and although the organisers had to agree with my judgement, "Harry should have won because he always does". That is when I backed out of judging things.

[oehrick]

It always used to amuse me that folk would almost kill to be a judge at the old Tunstead rallies Brian, but ask them the next year and you couldn't see them for dust - funny how we learn just how much we actually know in such circumstances

Thats why this forum is so wonderful compared to others I've joined in the past (not tractor focussed), huge amount of differing experiences in all sorts of circumstances, everyone willing to help others with their knowledge and no superstar ego's or members who seem to join purely to wind others up - long may it continue

[Brian]

Look!! He's coming back the other way!

[SkidRoe]

LOL !!

[ianpdexta]

I am planning to paint my grills in grey, wheels are already orange. The grey is some that I left over from another tractor (Fer£$%^&n) so at least the grills will match something on the rally field.

Regards

Ian

[oehrick]

Come off it Brian, where are they going to plough near Pinus sinistral in East Anglia ? I think you are pulling our legs

From the colour shift I suspect they may have used Kodak Ektachrome filmstock - any film buffs out there with experience of the Koday stocks ? I tended to use AGFA for transparencies and mostly Ilford for B&W.

[Brian]

I would suspect that picture was taken on Elveden Estates nr Thetford in Norfolk. Ford had a secret test farm there and we used to deliver parts. One day back in 1949 one of our delivery vans was talking to the farm manager on a farm track when he heard this strange noise coming towards them, The farm manager said, " Let us just sit here and see what happens". around the corner came a strange looking tractor and plough but the driver stopped as soon as he saw the two vehicles on the track, reversed, then took to the fields. It was Gerald's first glimpse of a New Fordson Major Diesel prototype.

I had a similar experience in 1968 when on my way to Boreham House on a Sunday afternoon. Driving down to the Five Ways roundabout I passed a Ford tractor with a spring tine harrow in a field on the left just before you cross the drain. In those days it was open land but there is now a stand of firs between the field and the road. Did not take too much notice as I passed when suddenly it clicked that it was not a "normal" 4000 as the front was different. So I turned around and went back to watch. The driver too did not come close when he saw me parked, could have been the Wrights badges and Ford plastered all over the van but that was my first sighting of a Ford Force tractor.

The ploughing marathon in the Ford and Fordson videos where they do a test on the Super major was all filmed on the Elveden Estate and Ford had the facility there right up to the 1990's I believe.

[oehrick]

No flies on you - Elveden is the only place you are likely to find a left handed pine in East Anglia, usually just after March 31st

They must have known about the WW1 & 2 tank and other weapon secret testing there and what is now the battle area - our neighbours down at the farm were planted here after being kicked off their farm when the military took it over, never forgave the government for not letting them back as promised after the end of the war.

What bad luck to encounter Wrights finest where probably 99% of the rest of the population wouldn't know a prototype from a hole in the ground