Block cleaning at home

[slowforty]

Vinegar, full strength works well for cleaning out the water jackets, cheap too

[Cecil/WV]

I soak my water jackets with vinegar for a couple of days but not the machined surfaces.

[1952henry]

Originally Posted by weemark

the red paint you are thinking of is glyptal and is still available http://www.eastwood.com/glyptal-red-enamel.html

Any insulating varnish/paint will do; Spray-on, Toolmaster,etc. Just make sure surface is clean. A piece of 1/8" cable chucked in a drill works wonders for cleaning rust and scale. Don't go wide open with drill as cable can/will sneak out and clean you. You probably know not to chase bolt holes with a tap.

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by 1952henry

Any insulating varnish/paint will do; Spray-on, Toolmaster,etc. Just make sure surface is clean. A piece of 1/8" cable chucked in a drill works wonders for cleaning rust and scale. Don't go wide open with drill as cable can/will sneak out and clean you. You probably know not to chase bolt holes with a tap.

And the great tips just keep on coming! What is the thread chaser I need called? Until I found the barn I had always used a tap for cleaning head bolts/studs in the block.

[1952henry]

You can buy a thread chaser, but a grade 8 bolt will work. Use a cut-off wheel in a dremel to make 1-2 reliefs lengthwise through the threads.

[GB SISSON]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by 1952henry

You can buy a thread chaser, but a grade 8 bolt will work. Use a cut-off wheel in a dremel to make 1-2 reliefs lengthwise through the threads.

I like the way you think.... My parents were old style New England Yankees.

" Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"

[1952henry]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

I like the way you think.... My parents were old style New England Yankees.

" Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"

I like your thought processes as well. Given a choice, I build rather than buy. Am in the process of conjuring a two gallon gear lube dispenser at this time. Started with a 6" diameter pipe. The actual pump will be a SBF oil pump. I'm going to line the tank with Toolmaster insulating varnish.

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by Cecil/WV

I soak my water jackets with vinegar for a couple of days but not the machined surfaces.

How do you do that? Put water pumps on and cap the snouts?

[Kahuna]

Much better than Vinegar is "Evaporust".
Block will look new inside

[tubman]

I second the "Evaporust" approach. Here are a couple of pictures of my '51 Merc after 2 soakings in "Rust-911" solution (generic "Evaporust"). I was pretty impressed with how it came out.

I used to use "Evaporust", but switched to "Rust-911" which is a concentrate because it is cheaper to buy and ship. I think it works just fine for my purposes, but if I had an infinite income, I'd probably go back to "Evaporust".

[slowforty]

Vinegar was $5.00 for four gallons at the local grocery store

[GB SISSON]

Would I do the rod/cable/conduit/shop vac treatment before the evaporust/vinegar douche or after?

[1952henry]

Before, give whatever chemical you use direct contact with parent metal. You probably have wood bleach. Check to see if it has oxalic acid. You can use that for removing internal rust.

[Bored&Stroked]

Red Paint on the Inside: Another option is Rustoleum Damp Proof primer - just buy a small can, get a small brush and paint all the inside surfaces by hand.

It really doesn't do anything for performance, but it does help seal the surfaces, traps any little bitty crap that was still in the pores of the cast iron and helps to prevent new stuff from sticking. Just make dang sure that the block is really clean - so it sticks!

[McKay59AB]

After I remove all the old oil and grease from a flathead, I soak my blocks in a 55 gallon drum of 10% livestock molasses to 90% water for 7 days. Cleans the inside water jackets really well. I then wash with a 4000 PSI washer and a 200 degree hot box. Final is to blow dry with a leaf blower to help prevent flash rust.

[FlatheadTed]

I would put the heads back on with a old gasket say greased, then with it standing on end fill the block and heads with full strength Vinegar or molasses ,let that sit for min of 3 weeks even 8 .Then water blast ,you can degrease with Diesel or kero or some cheap solvent probe and water blast before the vinegar and after the machinist .dry it in the sun or a blow heater a little rust discolouration will not hurt ,or leave it covered in diesel while you wait for assembly . Ted

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by FlatheadTed

I would put the heads back on with a old gasket say greased, then with it standing on end fill the block and heads with full strength Vinegar or molasses ,let that sit for min of 3 weeks even 8 .Then water blast ,you can degrease with Diesel or kero or some cheap solvent probe and water blast before the vinegar and after the machinist .dry it in the sun or a blow heater a little rust discolouration will not hurt ,or leave it covered in diesel while you wait for assembly . Ted

I like that idea... I'm so cheap I hang old head gaskets on a nail in my shed alongside the shop. Now I find a use for them. I may never throw anything away again!

[Viv W]

Hi,
A freind of mine recently cleaned up a dirty rusty chevy motor by putting it in a drum filled with a mixture of molasis and water. He left it in the drum overnight, took it out next day and pressure cleaned it. The motor was as clean as the day it was cast, no grease, oil, paint or rust.
Incidentally, if you have a motor or anything else rusted up solid, put it in a drum of water and leave it to soak anything from a week to 3 months, the water will dissolve the rust better than any penetrating oil and you will eventually take it apart. I have tried this on a 29 Chev engine and it DOES work
Regards
Viv.

[GB SISSON]

Did the cable in a drill trick. After about 3 days soaking in vinegar I heated the block over charcoal til it was good and warm. This was a ford reman block with what seemed very little use. Then a gunk bath and took it up near the house and hooked the garden hose to the washing machine's hot supply side. Pulled a rag wetted with marvel mystery oil over and through machined surfaces. Our one car wash on the island recycles their water through a filter and they have a sign 'No greasy engine parts'.... I will do my honing, drilling and valve grinding next and then a good thorough cleaning afterwards. I got a lot of really good input from you Barners that replied. Thanks!