Cleaning bare engine block ( hot tank ) at home?

oldgriz

Active member
Good evening fellow Sixers, I was wondering if any of you had any experience or suggestions on removing gunk , crud, old pant from bare engine blocks.
Yes I know you can take it to an engine builder and have it done. But we're financially Depressed at the moment. I have looked at info on electrolysis for removing rust. Seems simple and no harsh chemicals. Will this get the block down to bare metal? I have one of those big black plastic trunk locker / storage box's that the block will fit in. May be add some fish tank heaters? Any available chemicals that work great out there

Let's here your advice, experiences or ideas.

Thanks for looking. Oldgriz.
 
I 2nd the idea.
Net has plenty ideas & directions...
a battery, some chemicals...

1) just B very careful w/the 'off gassing"
2) choose the correct process for a cast iron car motor
 
Most HDPE starts to melt at 250-260˚f.
Fish tank heaters might get and engine sized tub up to 95˚f, maybe 100˚f. Newer heaters have thermal cut-offs, too.

I'd go the electrolysis route. Battery charger, sodium -carbonate-, pieces of rebar as the + anode.

Rick(wrench)
 
Superclean is amazing stuff. That and a stiff round brush with a long handle. Hot water would be good, like out of the wtr htr drain with a hose for the rinse. Then dry fast with towels and compressed air followed by boeing type spray or wd40. Probably won't do much for rust though. Tanking is relatively cheap.
 
You'll have to remove the cam bearings and probably even the freeze plugs when using methods like this, so keep that in mind before it eats them up. So if money is tight, you may not want to fix it if it isn't broke.
 
Good evening gentleman
Thanks for the replies
Chad
I'm going to be doing the block cleaning in a outside ,secured area behind my shop.

Rickwrench
I didn't think about the heat that the plastic bin could take ,good catch on that.
I was thinking of heating the solution to about 100 to 125 degrees. The plastic tub would be used for electrolysis only. I have a 55 gallon drum that I could put a heater in or under it. I also have a unused metal job box I could use. Depending on how I windup doing this.

Ecnoline

I will look into the super clean cleaner. I don't have a problem using chemicals as long as the disposal is easy. When the block is done I will blow dry it with a leaf blower that I use to dry my cars (detail). do the pro's coat the blocks till it can get painted? The last year was tough for me financially. But back at work and getting back to enjoying life. This is for my son car and he is in college working on a welding degree and mechanical engineering so this is a low budget build .I have a home machine shop. We are going to do as much of it ourselves as possible.
We will spend money if we have too.

CNC - dude
We are going to be cheap with money but not with quality. from my measurements on some of the cylinders there is about 7 thousands of an inch wear and info I could find on the net equals 10 to 12 thousand miles per thousandth of an inch wear so block could have 70 to 80 thousand miles on it? Bottom end doesn't look to bad for a car that sat in the desert for 25+ years with the hood up. Cylinder 4 was full of water when we pulled the head and heavy with rust all bearing are bone dry.
Tomorrow I am going to fill cylinders 4 and 5 with evaporust and try to remove the rust build up on the cylinder walls. Then I was going to oil all the bearings and fill the cylinders with oil, get it lubed up then try and break it free so I can remove the rotating assembly. I am pulling all the bearings and freeze plugs as they are going to be replaced.
 
Its hard to find a shop which has a real caustic hot tank.
Most of them have a high pressure detergent wash, which does not clean all the sludge in hidden areas.
I have used oven cleaner & even muriatic acid to clean rust.
I still would after the above take it to a machine shop for a final cleaning, install cam bearings & bore & hone the cylinders for your choice of ring material.
 
look 4 the shop (sorry, find a cutter) that 'line' machines crank journals
's good 4 the six due to length
:nod:
 
Good evening Chad
Right now I have poured evap-o-rust into cylinders 2,3,4 and 5 as they have rust,especially number 4 as it was full of water when I pulled the head. I put the clean oil pan back on to catch it. I'm hoping the cylinders will clean up well enough that I can get the pistons out without brut force trauma.

I have a lot of nice starret machinist measurement tools , inside hole gauges ,micrometers etc. I am also going to order a nice dial bore gage for easier cylinder measurements :D
Once the block is cleaned I am going to thoroughly measure the block to see exactly what needs to be done to it for the blue printing of block for the rebuild.
The block will get the needed machining ,if I can't do it we will take it to a shop that can.
 
"...nice starret ..."
stop! that's right down the st. (We had the wor' by the B@77s for 300 yrs in the tool&die trades, I wrked 4 a coupla locals in the '70s here).
Keep Goin :)
 
OP, one thing you should consider is the cleaning of the oil passages of any sludge build up in them. you can do that by using a good degreaser that is mild, and rifle bore brushes, something in a .308 range should fit the oil passages nicely. get the plastic bristle brushes though to avoid damaging the bearing surfaces. diesel fuel makes a decent solvent that wont hurt the bearings. just remember to flush the passages with something like WD40 before you put the motor back together.
 
Superclean is biodegradable but use gloves with it if you use it. It will eat your hands up a bit, esp at full strength. Every auto parts store around here carry it by the gallon. Put it in a spray bottle diluted 50:50 or stronger and keep it soaked down while it sit's and penetrates. Round head, all plastic brush, toothbrushes, barrel brushes and hot water. I don't think it will affect the cam bearings but I don't know for sure. Be careful of barrel/bore brushes twisted wire core around the bearings and bores. If there's pitting in the bore(s) from being full of water for any long period of time the block may be toast. I would use marvel mystery oil or diesel to free up the cylinders to get it apart first. Then clean, then evaporust or wd40 and a purple scotchbrite if needed, then boesheild T9 or more wd40 to keep it protected. I guess you'll be taking them out the bottom. Be careful of the oil galley, it's rough casting surface can harbor moisture and start rusting on it's broad sides above the lifter bores b/c it's hard to access. Make sure it's good and dry and soaked down with protectant when you are done.
 
chad":2tvp6c99 said:
"...nice starret ..."
stop! that's right down the st. (We had the wor' by the B@77s for 300 yrs in the tool&die trades, I wrked 4 a coupla locals in the '70s here).
Keep Goin :)

Chad you can't beat starret tools or brown and sharp, also Lufkin.
I grew up in maywood new jersey and had a relative that had a large machine job shop out on long island.
I went to Bergen tech high school and took the machine trades course ,I'm from a family of machinists.
I didn't stay in the trade tho, went in the service and was a tracked vehicle mechanic in an engineer's battalion
Got out and wound up getting into plumbing and heating and refrigeration.
Sadly the machine trades aren't what they used to be here in America. I have picked up some nice machinist tool on Craig's
List from guys that have retired cheap no one wants it.
 
Econoline":7t9qrh94 said:
Superclean is biodegradable but use gloves with it if you use it. It will eat your hands up a bit, esp at full strength. Every auto parts store around here carry it by the gallon. Put it in a spray bottle diluted 50:50 or stronger and keep it soaked down while it sit's and penetrates. Round head, all plastic brush, toothbrushes, barrel brushes and hot water. I don't think it will affect the cam bearings but I don't know for sure. Be careful of barrel/bore brushes twisted wire core around the bearings and bores. If there's pitting in the bore(s) from being full of water for any long period of time the block may be toast. I would use marvel mystery oil or diesel to free up the cylinders to get it apart first. Then clean, then evaporust or wd40 and a purple scotchbrite if needed, then boesheild T9 or more wd40 to keep it protected. I guess you'll be taking them out the bottom. Be careful of the oil galley, it's rough casting surface can harbor moisture and start rusting on it's broad sides above the lifter bores b/c it's hard to access. Make sure it's good and dry and soaked down with protectant when you are done.

Hi Econoline
Right now I have the two most rusted cylinders soaking with Evap o rust I'm hoping that it cleans up the bores enough to get the piston out the top. All the bearing,freeze plugs and oil galley plugs will be removed. I am going to get some super clean and along with the evap o rust and maybe simple green and do some small tests using these products in conjunction with electrolysis and maybe heat on some rusty scrap iron to see what works. I also have a pressure washer to use. I have two 250 i6 that will get some work after this project.
If the bores are to pitted to clean up the we might sleeve them or find another block.
 
rbohm":3slzkwq7 said:
OP, one thing you should consider is the cleaning of the oil passages of any sludge build up in them. you can do that by using a good degreaser that is mild, and rifle bore brushes, something in a .308 range should fit the oil passages nicely. get the plastic bristle brushes though to avoid damaging the bearing surfaces. diesel fuel makes a decent solvent that wont hurt the bearings. just remember to flush the passages with something like WD40 before you put the motor back together.

Hi Rbohn
Yes the block will be thoroughly cleaned before putting it together.
It will be cleaned and dryed before measurement tests and machining and then again before assembly.
I have been reading up on proper blue printing and assembly of performance engines.
Engine will be squeaky clean all threads chased ect.
 
I like your idea about electrolysis.
It would definitely help in removing rust from the water jacket,
helping the engine run cooler.
 
It can be this simple: get some sort of metal container which is large enough you can submerge the entire block completely and maybe hang it using chains or heavy wire (I have seen barbed wire used in a pinch when no one was looking). Heat the water somehow and add some household lye (understanding there are risks involving chemical burns when using lye, you will take proper precautions and do this at your own risk). Constant or periodic agitation of the solution will help remove dirt, grease, paint, cooling system sludge, etc.
Remove, rinse and inspect periodically, and when it is clean, dry thoroughly and protect machined surfaces with oil of some sort.
Alternatively a steam cleaner or pressure washer will accomplish a lot of this; paint stripper can be used as a cleaner as it will strip away crud as well as paint. remove core plugs and oil system plugs so these areas can be cleaned out thoroughly. Just go at it and figure out what works for you. Ask someone if you get to an area of uncertainty. Be cautious but don't be too cautious that you end up doing nothing.
 
rocklord":1f7k1bs3 said:
I like your idea about electrolysis.
It would definitely help in removing rust from the water jacket,
helping the engine run cooler.

Electrolysis is "line of sight" only... it will not clean anything inside a hole or inside a shape such as gas tanks, etc... unless you stick the sacrificial anode in the hidden space.
 
rocklord":3pb8yg9d said:
I like your idea about electrolysis.
It would definitely help in removing rust from the water jacket,
helping the engine run cooler.

Hi Rocklord.
I am leaning toward electrolysis with some sort of solution to help it along.
Still looking into it. I did pour evap o rust into cylinders 4 and 5 and it has done
An amazing job at removing the rust build up, I'd say almost 95% of the rust is gone.
It is on the third application, tomorrow I will wipe it out and take pictures of the results.
 
Wascator":27byta5j said:
It can be this simple: get some sort of metal container which is large enough you can submerge the entire block completely and maybe hang it using chains or heavy wire (I have seen barbed wire used in a pinch when no one was looking). Heat the water somehow and add some household lye (understanding there are risks involving chemical burns when using lye, you will take proper precautions and do this at your own risk). Constant or periodic agitation of the solution will help remove dirt, grease, paint, cooling system sludge, etc.
Remove, rinse and inspect periodically, and when it is clean, dry thoroughly and protect machined surfaces with oil of some sort.
Alternatively a steam cleaner or pressure washer will accomplish a lot of this; paint stripper can be used as a cleaner as it will strip away crud as well as paint. remove core plugs and oil system plugs so these areas can be cleaned out thoroughly. Just go at it and figure out what works for you. Ask someone if you get to an area of uncertainty. Be cautious but don't be too cautious that you end up doing nothing.

Hi Wascator
I have a knack job box I can use and could install some water heater, heating elements in it. I thought about suspending
It in the solution and rotating it slowly with maybe some aeration. I'm not afraid of using chemicals. I have never used lye
I am aware of the burn dangers of using it, I will have to look in to disposal and if it can be neutralized with something.
I am going to remove all bearings, freeze plugs and oil galley plugs. I do have a power washer to use and a yard blower to dry it.
 
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