The Castrol Super Clean is a fairly strong caustic. It's a little rough on the hands. A cheaper way to get a caustic solution is to make some out of lye (drain cleaner). Basically the same stuff; Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH). Don't add water to lye, add lye to water.

To clean an engine, I mechanically scrape, brush, and pressure wash off the layer of crud. Then I'll use a wash of kerosene, hot water, and laundry detergent with a scrub brush, to de-grease it. I use Muriatic Acid (Hydrochloric acid - HCl) to get rust scale off of something. For gasket surfaces I've got a can of gasket remover.

That was good advice for prepping the block for painting; lacquer thinner. Laundry detergent is also a good way to clean the cylinders out prior to installing pistons and rings. Laundry detergent is a chelate, it 'grabs' metal ions. The honing process leaves a lot of metal rubbed into the cylinder walls, and laundry detergent can help get it back off.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 24-Apr-02 AT 00:16 AM (EST)]Second the muriatic acid for rust removal.

Second the laundry detergent for cylinder bores and any freshly machined surface also. Best method for scrubbing down an engine fresh from the machine shop. Most machine shops do this as part of their process but it does not hurt to repeat so that you can sleep better at night. Just remember to dry and oil the surface afterward to prevent rust.

The Castrol is hard on the hands! It also has surfactants etc. that help the cleaning process. Don't get the stuff on you. Sodium hydroxide is nasty stuff also.

Any strong chemical should be handled with care!
Safety First!


over!

 

Don't forget the oil passages in the engine block and crankshaft. I use a rifle brush and solvent and then flush them out real good. One solid particle in there can wipe a bearing out in seconds.

 

I say if the engine is out, and you are doing a total rebuild...which it sounds like you are, then just send the block over to the local machine shop and have it boiled. that will take off all the paint, and any residual oil/grease that could be trapped in passages which you can not easily get to. Additionally if you send it out, there is no cleanup of driveway, or garage..

Yes I know this adds up to $100 to the cost(probably less depends where you live), but you will NEVER(this is a personal opinion..having rebuilt several motors), get the inside very clean without sending it off or you will damage it.


**please dont flame me telling me how you were able to get yours clean, and there was no damage. I am only giving my opinion.**

 

Easy Off Oven Cleaner! Pulls carbon out of cracks, takes baked on grease off of anything, plus it gets rid of the baked oil from inside the engine. Just be carefull with aluminum parts. It will start to eat through the metal after 20 minutes. Plus you need gloves to protect your hands.

 

airharley - YOU NAILED IT, right on the head!!!

OVEN CLEANER, is one of the best things I ever tried for getting wads of stuck-on grease off an engine or a frame under it.

-It doesn't have to heat up, it's designed for grease that's been baked on deep, and it doesn't cost so much.
(Besides, it don't smell as nasty. Helpful if you have a snoopy neighbor)

I'm about to try "Bug and Tar Remover" on the underside of my hood too...


~Wolf >=o)

 

I also use "Easy Off" on table saw and circular saw blades to remove the burnt varnish that accumulates on them. Let it sit for 15 minutes and just rinse it off with water.

 

I played around on the car show circuit (World of Wheels) back in the early 80s with a friend of mine that had a pretty nice 79 stang. We learned a few tricks from the guys that made this their living. First is (Like the post above states) to us oven cleaner to clean off the block and heads. It's cheap, works great, and after doing it twice you should be able to eat off the cast.

Ever wonder how a they all seem to have "perfect blocks", blocks that are perfectly smooth with no signs of sand casting? They use Bondo body filler to smooth everything out. All those thousand and one dimples from the sand casting make for a perfect surface for the bondo to hold on to. Use just enough to smooth the block and that’s it. When you're done your block will look like it is half bondo and half cast but be smooth has glass. We did this to the heads and intake also, and it still looked great even after 20K.

As for the paint, most people think the engine block is hot as Hades. Truth is the block is no hotter then the water temperature in the radiator. All that heat build up under the hood is from the exhaust manifolds/headers and exhaust pipes. Those of you that run full length headers might have noticed that after you installed them the temp under your hood fell quit a bit. That's because the meld still of the headers does not retain the heat that the cast-iron manifolds use to.

What I am leading to here is that you can use almost any paint on the block and not have it peel or fade. The trick is to use 25 to 33% less hardener in the paint then you would on the body. This allows the paint to follow a little more and expand and contract with the cast. That’s how these guys get their engines to have the same paint scheme as their cars. It’s not magic or high dollar paint; it’s just knowing how to prep.

 

Another nice well presented idea!


[link:www.ford-trucks.com/guidelines.html|FTE Moderator]
over!

 

For cleaning all those little hard-to-reach corners I bought a round brush (round like a shaving brush) with a long handle and very stiff non-metallic bristles. I use mineral spirits, carb cleaner, engine degreaser and anything else I have that will help cut the grime. This is most useful in those areas where oil leaks have been packed by dirt, then baked on by the normal engine heat.

Winford

 

I just painted my 61 292y block with that high temperature paint ... it has good finish but takes a lot of time to get it right...

Good luck

 

I was wondering if anyone has any advice as far as degreasing and engine. What's the best way? Cheapest? What do I need to cover up and how, before I spray with anything. I have never had to do this before and I just don't want to ruin anything.
Thanks,
Jay

 

I hadda look at the calender twice. Even then I'm assuming this is an April Fool's thread.

It is, isn't it?

 

Ummmm -NO

Why would you think so?

 

Real funny.