One dream, one year, one tractor and now one of 12 finalists

Bravo, Kyle!

Kyle Day had a dream of restoring his 1948 International Harvester Farmall M tractor. Chevron Lubricants, sponsors of a national competition for top teen restoration specialists, gave the Gonzales senior one year to pursue his dream.

Now he’s one of 12 finalists in the National Delo Tractor Restoration Competition, a first for Gonzales.

Kyle, a member of Gonzales Future Farmers of America (FFA), restored his 1948 International Harvester Farmall M tractor by rebuilding old mechanical components, slaving over critical sheet metal work and polishing the mechanism to a glistening sheen.

Kyle submitted his restoration workbook, pictures and a video to document all of his work to the judges who sent him to the national championship competition.

“I had one year to select and restore a tractor,” Kyle says. “All of my work was reviewed by expert judges who narrowed the national entries down to a ‘final 12’.”

From here, Kyle will venture to the 84th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis Oct. 19-21. While at the convention, he will give a presentation of the work he has done on the tractor, and will be interviewed by five restoration specialists.

“There will be a group of judges, who are experts on these tractors and will be asking me many different questions about the work I’ve done,” Kyle says. “Most likely, whichever of us has the best answers will win.”

And the winner in Indianapolis isn’t finished with travel. The West Coast is next.

“Chevron pays for most of this show,” he says of the maker of the Delo brand of technologically advanced engine lubricants. “If I win here and get in the top three, then they’ll ‘come and take’ the tractor and ship me and my family to California.”

“This is the first time anybody in Gonzales has done this,” a proud Robert Day says of his grandson. “He has done very well.”

“I’m very proud of Kyle,” says Mary Ann Day, Kyle’s grandmother. “He’s always energetic and busy. He’s never bored!”

“We are extremely proud of the Gonzales High School FFA program and of Kyle and his significant achievement of being selected as the second out of 12 finalists in the National Delo Tractor Restoration Competition,” Gonzales High School principal Joe Martinez says. “We wish him luck as he travels with Mr. (Robert) Washington, one of our FFA teachers, to Indianapolis for the next round of competition.”

In addition to the support of his family and school, Kyle also had help from corporate partners.

“The tires were donated by Titan Tire Company,” Kyle says. “I took a lot of parts off an old tractor and put them on this one. It was a case of one buddy helping another out!

“Titan was great for doing that,” Kyle says. “Your typical set costs around $1,500.”

The restoration process was a long one for Kyle, requiring lots of hard work, long hours and plenty of discipline.

“I started working on this in October 2010 and finished in February of this year. The sheet metal was the hardest work,” he says. “It took weeks and lots of late nights. But that’s the discipline, and it pays off.”

Kyle tracked down parts from places like Washington and Pennsylvania, and rebuilt the engine. And his penchant for welding also paid dividends for him.

“I’m mainly into welding,” he says. “I will be going to welding school in Tulsa next year.”

If people log on to YouTube.com and search “Gonzales, Texas FFA,” they can see a video of Kyle rebuilding his tractor. “Every view gets me a credit,” he says.

Kyle’s trip to Indianapolis is not only the culmination of a year of hard work, but the climax of the interest and appreciation instilled by his grandfather.

“My grandpa got me into tractors, especially the last five years,” Kyle says.

Now that interest is taking Kyle to the national finals.