Thread: Home Parts Cleaning.

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Got any suggestions for cleaning nasty parts at home.

Parts like oil pans, valve covers, Brakets/braces,nuts bolts.

I hate the thought of having to take them somewhere and paying to have them cleaned if I can find a way to do them on my own.

Put them in the dishwasher when she's not around

i use a combination of purple power, dawn, and a scrub brush. then rinse well and dry.

A friend of mine uses molasses and something else..just cant remember what the something else is..,but I am sure if you google molasses,you will find out. He strips gunk off everything,in fact he is stripping the goo off my 351w block,that will be finding its new home in the F100..He has a 200 litre drum full behind his shed..

Originally Posted by JBoss

Got any suggestions for cleaning nasty parts at home.

Parts like oil pans, valve covers, Brakets/braces,nuts bolts.

I hate the thought of having to take them somewhere and paying to have them cleaned if I can find a way to do them on my own.

The de-greasing option on the dial at the local car wash works pretty well. And you don't have to worry about fouling the ground around home. Take a change of clothes with you and haul the stuff down there in a beater pickup. Put bolts and nuts in a burlap bag and shove the wand into the bag.

Originally Posted by lamin8r

A friend of mine uses molasses and something else..just cant remember what the something else is..,but I am sure if you google molasses,you will find out. He strips gunk off everything,in fact he is stripping the goo off my 351w block,that will be finding its new home in the F100..He has a 200 litre drum full behind his shed..

One part mollasses and two parts water, leave in container, til ( grease is gone or rust is gone ) yes rust as well, rinse in hot soapy water.... or I`ve used plastic bleach bottles with a little gas in them for all the nasty bolts and nuts, shake til clean or the car wash...

Originally Posted by 406Rich

One part mollasses and two parts water, leave in container, til ( grease is gone or rust is gone ) yes rust as well, rinse in hot soapy water.... or I`ve used plastic bleach bottles with a little gas in them for all the nasty bolts and nuts, shake til clean or the car wash...

Okay,just water??seems to work well..

Originally Posted by techinspector1

The de-greasing option on the dial at the local car wash works pretty well. And you don't have to worry about fouling the ground around home. Take a change of clothes with you and haul the stuff down there in a beater pickup. Put bolts and nuts in a burlap bag and shove the wand into the bag.

Up here in Massachusetts, doing this will get you a visit from the DEP. (dept. of Environmental Protection) it became so serious for the car washes they've all installed video cameras to protect themselves. Just something to think about!

Pay someone to clean parts You are kidding aren't you??

The 'little' items like brackets and bolts get scraped and then a wire brush - either by hand or motorized. Valve covers get the scrape-Gunk-Dawn dishwash soap routine in the woods behind my house.

Playing with cars is supposed to be fun not a chore which means you have to be like a kid and get down and get dirty.

Yes, I do get blocks and heads hot tanked - but only after I do a complete strip down including pulling any threaded and core plugs along with cam bearings in blocks.

(dang kids......)

Originally Posted by IC2

Pay someone to clean parts You are kidding aren't you??

The 'little' items like brackets and bolts get scraped and then a wire brush - either by hand or motorized. Valve covers get the scrape-Gunk-Dawn dishwash soap routine in the woods behind my house.

Playing with cars is supposed to be fun not a chore which means you have to be like a kid and get down and get dirty.

Yes, I do get blocks and heads hot tanked - but only after I do a complete strip down including pulling any threaded and core plugs along with cam bearings in blocks.

(dang kids......)

well it nice to get a strip out block to hot tank as you can spend many hours getting busted bolts out along very rusty pipe plugs that can add up in time and $$ to the customer. but its way better for me to do the job all the way thru. then when some bone head bust off a EZ out or takes out the cam bearing s and cut s the cam bores all to hell so less you know what your doing bettter let some one do it. that knows what there doing . your not saving any money . BUT i will say i do not under stand getting heads with the spark plugs in them for a mill or rebuild all the time? nice thing about you. has you can clean all your stuff up. were i have to deal with the wast/water / caustic soaps that can burn and eat skin . its not cheap to haul this stuff off in a safe way.....

Originally Posted by 34_40

Up here in Massachusetts, doing this will get you a visit from the DEP. (dept. of Environmental Protection) it became so serious for the car washes they've all installed video cameras to protect themselves. Just something to think about!

yep i hear it is the same thing here they catch you washing any thing and a oil flim is on the wash water in the stall. its your ass

Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

well it nice to get a strip out block to hot tank as you can spend many hours getting busted bolts out along very rusty pipe plugs that can add up in time and $$ to the customer. but its way better for me to do the job all the way thru. then when some bone head bust off a EZ out or takes out the cam bearing s and cut s the cam bores all to hell so less you know what your doing bettter let some one do it. that knows what there doing . your not saving any money . BUT i will say i do not under stand getting heads with the spark plugs in them for a mill or rebuild all the time? nice thing about you. has you can clean all your stuff up. were i have to deal with the wast/water / caustic soaps that can burn and eat skin . its not cheap to haul this stuff off in a safe way.....

Pat - the average home builder just can't afford a hot tank in his shop/garage for a couple of engines in a LIFETIME. The way I do it described above is best for me - a guy who has built 6-8+/- engines from the ground up which is probably well more then most folks. Now as far as a cam bearing driver - I had one, sold it. Pipe plugs - never had one defeat me with my standard, Allen or pipe wrenches along with some penetrating oil and a bit of propane torch heat if necessary (never my acetylene - too much heat).

For head work - any I've ever had rebuilt have been totally disassembled as they would get all new parts. And yep, I have seen some in a machine shop that would look better at the end of an anchor rope that the owner expected a miracle when done.

When the wife wanted a new dishwasher (new color) I took the old one and plumbed it into the shop. dirty parts in, double the dishwasher soap, set the dial on pots and pans, one hour ten minutes later, clean parts!

Originally Posted by IC2

Pat - the average home builder just can't afford a hot tank in his shop/garage for a couple of engines in a LIFETIME. The way I do it described above is best for me - a guy who has built 6-8+/- engines from the ground up which is probably well more then most folks. Now as far as a cam bearing driver - I had one, sold it. Pipe plugs - never had one defeat me with my standard, Allen or pipe wrenches along with some penetrating oil and a bit of propane torch heat if necessary (never my acetylene - too much heat).

For head work - any I've ever had rebuilt have been totally disassembled as they would get all new parts. And yep, I have seen some in a machine shop that would look better at the end of an anchor rope that the owner expected a miracle when done.

??????? all i am saying is he better to get the block hot tank then have the good guys up his ass.if he want,s to play carwash hot tank job and some one see,s him i have a engine machine shop so i need one and i have one. a hot tank and snap off jet washer. the point i was making here it cost alot of money to haul the bad stuff off so every one is happy .as for pipe plugs every now and then i get one that put up a fight but i done way more block preps then most. seeing how i do this stuff every day and do more engine rebuild s bore jobs.valve work and all the other fun stuff then most on here would do in a life time.i do in one year has for cam bearing.. i have seen some block drop off at my machine shop that the owner used a cam tool and took them out and screw the bores all up. i am sure you took them out right. but i seen more them one block screw up by someone that knew better? some jobs are better left to the pros

it actually is a toss up on which costs more these days--the cleaner/soaps or the disposal

I just wish people would at least drain the engines of oil and coolant