What do you do/how do you get your engine, and metalwork so clean? You could probably do a pic tutorial just on your method! Many thanks for the extremely informative tips this newbie has used!

 

Well...it it can come of the car, muriatic acid helps. Such as the brake dust ducts, etc.

Other than that..elbow grease.

 

Ahhh muriatic acid is for cleaning concrete.
I have not ever used this type of acid to clean any engine or car part and really there isnt any need.

for cleaning the engine simple green works well and lots of scrubbing,
just make sure to rinse it off as it is also a corrosive to aluminum parts, it would be a good idea to wash the parts with hot water and car soap after washing with SG

 

Citrus oil is also good. I recall someone using histoclear and simple green to clean a block and other alloy parts. The main ingredient in histoclear is d-limonene ... which is citrus oil. I've used the combination of simple green followed by citrus oil, and kept repeating to get good results (preserves the surface).

I've also used a marine aluminium cleaner, which has phosporic acid in it to strip anodising off manhole covers, but it (or any other acid) will etch the alloy, and should only ever be used with caution and where the surface is s***t anyway. I stripped the wheels and a few other pitted parts in a large airtight tank with the solution covering the parts. If you use any corrosive material you'll strip the surface to a dull finish ... but good for paint or clear ... pic below.

 

used muriatic acid on engine parts before on nickasil bores that had piston deposits on them......nothing else.

Good hard elbow grease, varsol and brake clean (non flammable) gets the job done. Alternately new parts look good

 

Here's a pic of a head that had the simple green/citrus treatment after being stripped down, and prior to machining.

 

Regardless of what method you use, the most important thing, at least to me, is always start with a clean car before working on it. When I get a new car, I clean everything, especially underneath, and that forms the baseline - from that I can see what leaks, what's cracked, what's worn out or braided, and so forth.
Then I clean well before working on any project. I also keep the garage super clean, especially when I am working. Lastly, I judge a shop at least in part by how clean they are. My experience has shown that dirty shops generally do a bad job (altho unfortunately, the converse isn't always true - for instance, stealership shops are usually quite clean). Anyone who has worked with me thinks I'm incedibly ****, but that's how I am.

 

might be a good idea to keep the acids away from the bores wouldnt want to clean the silicone off of them, it might just seize

 

Hello Detterich,
The cleaner I use most frequently in the engine bay area is Orange Citrus Cleaner/Degreaser. Wal-Mart use to sell a product called "Orange Blast" a clear citrus cleaner/degreaser. This was my favorite. I have not been able to find it lately so I've been using an Orange Citrus Cleaner/Degreaser from Home Depot and works as well as Orange Blast (I just don't like the color of it - Orange). After cleaning with the citrus cleaner, I usually rinse with water and dry with a towel (our water here tends to leave water spots).

On some bare metal parts, after cleaning with the degreaser, I've used Mothers Aluminum Polish. This stuff works great for shining some of the bare metal parts that the cadmium plating has worn off. I used this on some of the metal parts on Virginia's intake refresh as an alternative to re-plating (i.e., fuel pressure damper, bolts, washers, brackets, and some of the accessories such as the alternator, air pump, and PS pump bracket).

It does take some elbow grease as others have commented. In addition, some cleaning can be tedious in hard to get to places. For those, I use a terry cloth towel snipit on the end of a flat blade screwdriver to get to the hard to reach places.

I have used Muriatic acid on the rear brake dust shields on badly pitted/scored shields. The acid does a good job of cleaning everything off and leaves a dull finish which is good for painting with silver caliper paint and clear coat. Once the acid is used on the dust shield, I've never been able to get the same reflective shine as original when I use aluminum polish so painting after an acid bath works best, for me. I used a 50/50 solution diluted with water.

Hope this helps.

 

So no magic, just a lot of work and the desire to do it !

 

Eek. I thought the military bailed on Simple Green due to corrosion concerns. Maybe that was urban legend.

 

SG is a corrosive thats why it has to be washed again with a good car soap and warm water the SG was staying in the lap joints of the aluminum where rivets and wing skins joined over time corrosion happened , there isnt this much of an issue with car parts as long as the parts get washed well

 

Note of caution, be careful with the abrasive sponges like Scotch Brite pads. Sometimes they can damage finishes and when the part is wet it is not apparent. When it dries, its scratch city!

No one wants to live there.

 

There is an aviation grade of SG available at any local pilot shop..at -any- airport with at least a tower..always a GA shop to find.

 

I think that also applies to any other cleaner used, corrosive or otherwise, and should be standard practice. If you can't get it all off, and any residual has the potential to create an ongoing problem ... don't put it on.