Anyone have a good technique for cleaning dirty parts? I purchased about 40lbs of dirty miscellaneous 456M brackets, fasteners bolts. Some I recognize, other I think i know where they may go. Mostly engine bay and undercarriage bits. Most are pretty greasy. In the past I have soaked parts in Carb cleaner gallon cans, as well as just using vinegar. Any other solutions people have had good luck with i can just soak things for hours or days and come out clean? Or do I need to to wipe down every nut and bolt? If anyone needs anything for a 456/550 or other common bits of the era reach out too
Good day Nick, I use a mixture of Dawn Soap and water in an Ultrasonic Cleaner with the temp set to about 70 or 80 degrees, and the parts come out great. If the parts are not aluminum, then I use a mixture of diluted Simple Green and water for the Ultrasonic bath (Simple Green... even diluted ... will remove the aluminum anodization layer). For rusty (steel) parts... simply soak them in a solution containing phosphoric acid and you will be amazed at the results. Phosphoric acid is the active ingredient in many rust removers that you find at your auto parts stores, etc. Google "phosphoric acid rust remover" and you will find a lot of info on it and various products that have phosphoric acid in them. Cheers, Sam
Small metal part can be cleaned in a mix of solvents (for carbs I use paint thinner and a bit of mek). Other small parts can be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner (I use automotive coolant in the cleaner as it comes with anti-rust and usually gently remove grease). For the big parts, my machinist as some sort of huge washing machines that will make an engine block pristine clean. That's how the cylinder of a trusty renault ended. As this was from a cheap cars it had been abised and had seen better days. The "washing machine" did an amazing job (no blasting, no dry ice, just a deep clean). Image Unavailable, Please Login
I use a mix of water and a large bottle of Pine Sol in the below ultrasonic and it works fantastic and is not too harsh on aluminum. You do not want to use anything too strong with aluminum or it will turn it grey, which is a sign its eating away at the aluminum itself. I also have a massive ultrasonic cleaner I place entire engine blocks in and it's amazing, but that's a different conversation. VEVOR 30L Ultrasonic Cleaner, Professional Ultrasonic Cleaner Machine with Cleaning Basket & Digital Display, 480W Stainless Steel 40kHz Industrial Cleaning Machine for Parts, Carburetors, Instruments | VEVOR US
