Very nice job on that Dave. If i was closer i would love to stop by and run my tongue on that. Hey, what can i say, i love engine porn.
If you've got things apart, you can do wonders with just a low cost 1800psi pressure washer and plain water. No glass beads, soda, or other abrasive, just water!!! I started using a degreaser solution, but when it ran out I discovered that water was doing just as well! I rebullt a transmision a few years ago & after cleaning with parts cleaner & brushes for days I took the pressure washer to the housing. In a couple of hours I had it looking like a new casting. I also was able to use it to completely strip off all the old gasket remnants that hadn't yielded to scraping & gasket remover. If you think getting the outside of an engine clean is a challenge, try the inside of a 25 year old tranny sump!!! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here is the man to contact, tell Wayne I sent you, plus some pics of my Boxer engine to wet your appetite. http://www.freewebs.com/blasting/ Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Pictures in order of.. Dirty Stripped Prep painted x2 Finnished. Time and elbo grease and the correct primer and paints....all available Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I am in the middle of doing the engine-out on the TR and like many of you, I've been scrubbing, scraping, scratching, digging, and gouging over every nook and cranny - just can't get the engine spotless. I've used simple green, kerosene, thinner, mag wheel cleaner, and even never-dull, and worn out many brushes too. Though the engine is very clean, it still has spots and stains. I don't have access to any blasters, or to the miracle cleaner Chemtec Blitz. So I'm considering fogging a light coat of paint on the motor.....last resort within reason.
for the DIY I'd recommend a solvent tank and agitene. available thru most chem suppliers and industrial houses. not cheap but very effective, also dries without a film for pre-paint prep.
cast aluminum, as mentioned can & do stain i've always had good luck using a mix mr.clean+diesel which cuts the grease well (use liberally)....then pressure washer, using de-greaser solution after the aluminum is cleaned (dish soap works fine) and rinsed/dried, then a good aluminum paint (marine or aviaton) even VHT 200deg worked well on my turbo engines (no flaking even in hot engine bay)
Sorry to report I didnt have a win mate. I am still thinking/looking at going down another track. I will keep you posted if I have a win.
Here are some pics of my efforts....after throwing everything at it including the kitchen sink. It looks okay....but not great. The top two pictures look pretty good, but the third picture is "reality". I bought some high temp aluma-cast paint that I hope will look close to natural. I'm going to test it out on something before I spray the motor. I'm only doing the engine block, as the heads really clean up nice. I will remove the rod bolt cover plates from the block and redo those seperately. I see how great many of the motors look in previous posts after blasting with various media...very nice. I'm just not in a position to haul my motor off somewhere for that type of work. So I'll make do with the cave man technique. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
My father used to rebuild carburettors. What ever he used to soak them in was amazing stuff, but apparently you were not supposed to get it on your hands. Anyway leave anything in that stuff over night and it would look like new the next day. Wish I still had the old tin of it ... I just use kerosene now and scrub and scrub and then go back and scrub some more. Pete
...'PSk, After reading through this entire thread, I'm surprised that someone (you!) finally brought up carburetor cleaner for cleaning aluminum? I used to work in an engine rebuilding shop years ago and they did a lot of VW's. They would first run the case and heads through the "jet-wash" and then soak them in a huge tank that was actually a large carburetor cleaner tank. Here in the states however, it's very expensive today. And if anyone has ever used "Gunk" engine degreaser, it also is just carb cleaner. Everyone knows that if you ever get the stuff on you, you're going to smell like it for a day or two! edited note: The pics of all your guys' flat-12's really made my day!
Jeff, I have used Hydroflouric Acid on raw aluminum castings and it works really good for removing the dark (blackish) stains as well as the white corrosion. You have to wear a chemical breather when you use it in confined spaces though. The only drawback is you have to rinse rinse rinse with water to stop the acid reaction and reverse the PH. This probably wouldn't work so well in the car. I used it on a set of two-piece machined/polished wheels to get the corrosion from between the rim section and center section. Clean as a whistle. I then polished them with Mother's and they are like new. The stuff I used is readily available at NAPA, usually under the title "Aluminum Brightner". For carbon based metals I use Phosphoric Acid which changes the Iron Oxide (rust) to Iron Phosphate (Neutral Black stuff).
Back in the 60's, 70's and 80's, before all of the environmental restrictions, that yellow primer was called Zinc Chromate. Widely used in the aircraft industry. I doubt the stuff they use today is the same, the old stuff was really toxic.
I had a check with our marine guys here not a lot of help or products to choose from. Can you have a look at the can and let me know what company makes it and if there is a number and I'll see if I can get it in Australia. Thanks Cheers
