Hey guys, so im tearing apart my motor for rebuild and am currently planning a build ect ect.

So Ive been degreasing all the mani's and all components to make them look all nice while its apart. Well degreaser only goes so far and wire brushing has a hard time with the tight spots.

The parts look much better and clean, But im curious as to how other people cleaned up their mani's in preperation for painting them?

 

Toothbrush and simple green.

 

Sandblaster

Harbor freight sells them, but I would recommend the small blast cabinet. I bought it for under $100

Once you get that, you'll want the powdercoat gun too

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-non-technical-pictures-198/powdercoating-project-1-a-857821/

 

castrol super clean and some elbow grease worked for me. also a dreml tool with a wirebrush for some of the real tight areas

 

I tried the wire brush, this cleaner is stronger than simple green. Dont get me wrong it cleaned up ALOT from where it was. But you can still see residue/oil stains. Im starting to think sandblasting would be the way to get it perfect. Just worried the paint wont bond to the mani's with any kind of oil residue underneath it.

 

+1 for sandblasting

but on a budget, a kids toothbrush works to IMO

 

carb spray cleaner works wonders.

 

This!

Don't recommend doing it while on the car since carb cleaner can be nasty to plastic and rubber, but since it's off, carb clean away. It's the best degreaser money can buy.

Hell, parts washers use hydrocarbons similar to carb cleaner to wash parts.

 

Media blasting is probably the optimal approach but failing that, a good clean (with whatever solvent you prefer) followed by some time in a hot oven (which will bring leftover oils/grease to the surface) and another chemical clean, should do the trick.

 

Soda blaster...or Purple power not diluted....safe on plastics and rubbers for a short time...SHORT....and a pressure washer

 

you want a simple and cheap way to clean engine parts? use BREAK CLEANER. it cleans fast and pretty much dries up instantly.

i am a shop tech and this is the approach i use all the time. you will want to use a toothbrush to get into little crevices and such while the break cleaner is still wet then just spray it down completely and you will see a mass improvement............guaranteed!

 

We have an Ultrasonic tank at my shop. Drop the parts in a nice hot bubble bath and come back in about 45minutes.. BING parts clean.. But brake cleaner is great also, especially if you have an airgun. Spray the breake cleaner and compressed air behind it to get a little more power from spray