Farmall fancy

A pastime that began as a mere activity to fill time after retirement, restoring antique tractors has become a true passion for Libertyville resident Jim Willis.

He began his first tractor restoration project in 2000. A retired insurance adjuster, Willis found himself bored until his father-in-law came up with a solution, and gave him an old A McCormick Farmall tractor.

?He said, ?well, if you want something to do, take that,?? said Willis. ?I don?t know if he was getting me back for marrying his daughter or what, but I started working on it.?

Willis had former experience with Farmall tractors from working on his uncle?s farm in the past. It took him approximately two years to finish restoring the first tractor.

?I think my father-in-law was more proud of it than I was,? he said.

Willis didn?t stop with just one tractor, however; since beginning his hobby in 2000, he now has four fully-restored Farmall tractors and is now scouting for a fifth project to begin. Willis?s wife Joanne has been supportive of his projects.

?She?s my bookkeeper,? he laughed.

The actual restoration projects begin as somewhat of a scavenger hunt. Willis said he orders the tractor manual first and foremost and begins looking for parts from there.

?You?d be surprised at how many parts you can get from the dealer,? he explained.

For other parts not available from tractor dealers, Willis goes to events where he can find other tractor enthusiasts.

?Another fun thing is running down the parts,? Willis said.

After finding all the needed parts for his tractors, Willis gets to work swapping out old rusted or damaged parts with new ones. Most of the tractors he has restored have taken approximately two years from start to finish. He has a Farmall 450 that took more than two years to complete because ?it was a basket case.?

For the complete article, see the Monday, Oct. 26, 2009, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.