Cleaning up parts - recommended method and products?

[GrantOv]

As I'm digging in and replacing a few undercarriage parts but I also feel the urge to clean up some parts that I'm keeping or reusing. For example cleaning up my spindle before replacing my drum and brake bracket & calipers.

I assume good degreaser and a wire brush but is there a more effective method for parts both removed or still mounted?

 

[Sheriff41]

I mostly use full-strength Simple Green and a variety of nylon, brass, and steel wire brushes. Pressure washing, if you have access to one, is great for getting through the heavy stuff.

 

[c9zx]

I use Simple Green Aircraft and Precision cleaner to clean a variety of parts. Including carbs in an ultrasonic cleaner (10% cleaner the rest distilled water). I've also had good results using S-100. It is a bit pricey but can be diluted with water and still work well. Chuck

 

[Billw69]

Industrial strength Zep works very good also, and you can find it at Menards

 

[raydav]

I have tubs of sodium hydroxide/caustic soda, muriatic acid, and water.

The soda gets the grease and some paint, the acid gets the iron oxide.

The soda also neutralizes after acid. The water is rinse.

Just soak, no work.

Need rubber gloves and fresh air.

 

[giantpune]

I was thoroughly impressed with evaporust. Available in gallon jugs from harbor freight and oreiley auto. Bolts that were so rusted, i had to use penetrating oil and an impact gun to remove. I thought I was gonna throw them away. But soaked a day in evaporust and they look brand new. I also used on the pulleys and accessory brackets, and even valve covers. It took a couple days, but it removed the gears of dirt, grease, chemicals, and paint. Right down to silver metal.

The stuff is available as a gel which you can spread onto larger surfaces. And I have seen people soak rags in it, then wrap around parts or lay them out on a cast iron tabletop. Just makes sure it stays wet until you're ready to rinse it off.

Here's my coil bracket before and after 1 day of soaking.

 

[72mokk1]

I use a putty knife to scrape the big chunks off, then like most here I use simple green and a pressure washer or wire brush.

 

[Zach]

Cleaned my super t-10 with super clean and a pressure washer. Did a good job, the gallon jug goes a long way with your own spray bottle. I have yet to try evaporust. I used white vinegar to clean my quadrajet and it did good besides having chemical warfare in my bathroom (it was -20 outside)

 

[rio1856]

I was thoroughly impressed with evaporust. Available in gallon jugs from harbor freight and oreiley auto. Bolts that were so rusted, i had to use penetrating oil and an impact gun to remove. I thought I was gonna throw them away. But soaked a day in evaporust and they look brand new. I also used on the pulleys and accessory brackets, and even valve covers. It took a couple days, but it removed the gears of dirt, grease, chemicals, and paint. Right down to silver metal.

I too, am a beliver in Evapo-Rust! I use it in the 5 gallon buckets. It goes a long way if you keep the lid on it closed. Even if the solution gets weak you can still soak metal parts in it, it just takes longer then when the solution is fresh. I had a rubbermaid tub filled with it and I used it for better part of a year and it kept working. I even took the two halves of the fiberglass A/C box apart and soaked them in the tub full of the dirty Evapo-Rust and all the metal parts came out shiney and rust free. It never hurt the fiberglass. I currently have the cast iron tail section of my Toploader soaking in it.