Okay,

So my co-driver went and drove his sled into a rock... he's okay, but no way will he'll be able to tighten a harness down on the broken collarbone in a few weeks which is Piece Neige...

So... I have til Lanark to finish up Monster Justy. I figure I should do the block some good and clean it.

I can drop it off at the machine shop and have it cleaned, or I can make the home brew electrolysis soda cleaner... The thought of the block in the garage bubbleing away makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, but will it be as good as a proper hot tank?
(Washing soda and a battery charger method) I don't want to use caustic lye here...

Matt



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2013 01:09PM by Mad Matt F.

Warmth helps.....
Car washes are nice too--some scrubbing and Gunk, then a few quarters...

The important things is what color you gonna paint it?

Gotta have a nice color for a beast like this...

Ya know, so people looking at the motor after seeing th SS times will be gob-smacked, and marvelling at the speed outta this mild mannered looking thing.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

John,

the colour is a VERY important consideration...

Okay, I know I love K-green... but here are the car colours.

Bodywork: Orange/Flat black...

Underbody/engine bay: white

Some bling: Orange:

Some Bling: Tremclad blue.

Ah hell here's a piccie





I'm thinking:

Tremclad blue

Orange

K-Green...

Oh yeah and while I have no shot with the carbs on... we need to set off these beauties...





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2013 01:22PM by Mad Matt F.

Will the block fit in a dishwasher?

---

Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.

Pete,

Yeah... but I'm really not going there...

Edit...

Unless I can be ASSURED there will not be oil residue left behind



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2013 01:30PM by Mad Matt F.

Well, yeah, but how much are used dishwashers?

That's one of those ideas that i keep kicking around. The parts washer at work is little more than a very large dishwasher that runs on 3-phase power and has a 250 gallon tank of 180f detergent. (We used to use 210f lye but that's not very aluminum-friendly)

---

Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.

Use gunk and kerosene and then dunk it into a soapy hot water bath, scrub it around as needed with pipe cleaners and brushes and pressure squirters to get into the passages, and then some hot water rinses. Make the water as hot as you can stand it. Let the heat soak into the block in the soapy bath and the first hot clean rinse. Air dry after a 2nd hot rinse and it'll be super clean, maybe a tiny film of surface rust but nothing to be of concern. With the physical cleaning with brushes in the soapy bath, it will be as clean as a good shop tank, maybe better.

We used a sheetmetal tank Dad had made many years ago that you can juuuust fit an engine block in. Stick it in, fill with oil eater, go on with your life. Check it every 12 hours or so.

If its aluminum, be careful, and dont let it soak for too long, if at all. But its awesome for cast iron. Long soak in there, hit it with hot water from a faucet, and a light scrubbing pretty much gets blocks super clean.

---

Welcome to the cult of JVL drink the koolaid or be banned.

Kerosene?

Quote
ryanfay
Kerosene?

Diesel!

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Same for diffe? Was thinking 5 gallon bucket with some diesel or solvent of some kind? Soak for a day or three then hot water rinse?

---

Grant Hughes

Quote
NoCoast
Same for diffe? Was thinking 5 gallon bucket with some diesel or solvent of some kind? Soak for a day or three then hot water rinse?

Diesel for scrub, followed by Gunk, rinse HOT water, then clean diesel, wipe down.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Okay, okay...

But colour! come on mang, what colour am I going to paint this thing?

(goes back to work)

Quote
john vanlandingham
Diesel for scrub, followed by Gunk, rinse HOT water, then clean diesel, wipe down.

That is how a true car geek man washes, but do you put a spot of deodrant or cologne on after?

For me the engine block wash means 10 minutes with a pressure washer at 130degC (or whatever F that may be for you imperial types) with detergent. Wash the living crap off the block then systematically blast through all the oilways and passages from all directions, you will get soaked from the splash back but keep going, then off with detergent but keep temp up. Once flushed clean the block will still be hot to touch and will dry very quickly, so I move it into clean shop for a quick once over with an airline to help any last moisture evapourate off and make sure there is no moisture sitting in the oil ways.
I only do this once all other work has been carried out and the engine build is imminent.

---

Disappointingly not yet a Jackass



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2013 03:39PM by danster.

Quote
danster

Quote
john vanlandingham
Diesel for scrub, followed by Gunk, rinse HOT water, then clean diesel, wipe down.

That is how a true car geek man washes, but do you put a spot of deodrant or cologne on after?

For me the engine block wash means 10 minutes with a pressure washer at 130degC (or whatever F that may be for you imperial types) with detergent. Wash the living crap off the block then systematically blast through all the oilways and passages from all directions, you will get soaked from the splash back but keep going, then off with detergent but keep temp up. Once flushed clean the block will still be hot to touch and will dry very quickly, so I move it into clean shop for a quick once over with an airline to help any last moisture evapourate off and make sure there is no moisture sitting in the oil ways.
I only do this once all other work has been carried out and the engine build is imminent.

Then the rifle bore brushes come out for the long oil galleries.
Then brush up from main bearing feed up to main gallery, then oil ----non-linty rag down the main gallery again...

If you've never done the stiff wire brushes down the galleries thing be ready to soil yer britches at the piles of crud you get out..

You'll be hummin' a ditty running the brush thru and get to the end and YAAAARGH!!! That was clean! Wot da FAWK!

Even if you're working on Krautski stuff with their annoying steel ball plugs (like YB Cossie or old Opels) gotta punch 'em out and clean the galleries.
I always tap for some NPT --clean that mess---and plug with NPT allen and a dab of me favorite Drei-Bond Ghmb product

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2013 03:59PM by john vanlandingham.