cleanup prep of engine bay

[mshred]

Hey guys,

just pulled the motor on my scamp:cheers: and im going to start prepping it for paint. As far as the sanding goes i know what to do, but i need some suggestions on how to clean up my k member, center link, power steering, etc. as well as some rust that occurred from battery acid under the batter tray. Any tips you guys have would be great. I already scraped a ton of dust/grime off of the the k member and steering stuff, but its still very greasy and gunky. I have some pictures attached to give you guys an idea. I would like to paint these parts black before it goes in for paint. anything specific i should do to prep properly?

 

[rmchrgr]

Sandblasting dude. Blast, prime, paint, done. It's like magic. Fun too. Just try and de-grease as much as possible or you won't be able to re-use the abrasive material.

 

[mshred]

hey rmchrgr, sandblasting would definatly be ideal, but its totally out of the question for me. If i was to degrease like crazy and sand, would paint stick to those parts? also, what do you mean by degrease as much as possible to continue to use the abrasive material? what material are you talking about? sorry if it sounds dumb....like i said i dont have much time, as i have only until this wednesday to have the whole bay prepped (including k member, etc.) and sandblasting is an option i dont have unfortunatly

 

[yellowdartdave]

Scrape off as much crud as you can, then spray/douse with Castrol Super Clean or Simple Green and scrub. When everything is spotless, wipe it down with laquer thinner and paint it.

 

[RedFish]

a pressure washer would work. We used one on nasty Draper looms in the textile mill.
You would need to get it all dry again.

 

[rmchrgr]

hey rmchrgr, sandblasting would definatly be ideal, but its totally out of the question for me. If i was to degrease like crazy and sand, would paint stick to those parts? also, what do you mean by degrease as much as possible to continue to use the abrasive material? what material are you talking about? sorry if it sounds dumb....like i said i dont have much time, as i have only until this wednesday to have the whole bay prepped (including k member, etc.) and sandblasting is an option i dont have unfortunatly

If you put your parts into a blasting cabinet when grimy like yours, the dirt tends to clump and render the used abrasive material useless. If you're just blasting large steel chassis parts like K-frames etc, most of the time you can sift and reuse the material if it doesn't get contaminated.

It would take the least amount of time to clean and prep but if it's out of the question, you could try a wire wheel or some sort of cleaning pad though that may not get into all the spots.

If there's a powder coater near you, often they have abrasive cleaning services in conjunction with the finishing, it's in their best interest to coat clean parts.

There's also chemical paint stripper but I don't know how effective that would be for this particular application. It would make more of a mess than anything.

 

[mshred]

Scrape off as much crud as you can, then spray/douse with Castrol Super Clean or Simple Green and scrub. When everything is spotless, wipe it down with laquer thinner and paint it.

have you used this method before? i have some simple green that i could try out...getting abrasive cleaner, a wire brush or a power washer are also good suggestions as well...If i can scrub off most of the crap, then sand it that would be great...ill try using a wire brush also if the simple green doesnt work....but man are these parts ever covered in grime, so i foresee alot of scrubbing taking place...any other suggestions?

thanks guys:-D

 

[Boz]

Easy Off Oven Cleaner works good on greasy stuff.

 

[rob_robinson87]

My process including Straight PurplePower, scrub, PP again, scrub, PP through my pressurewasher, more scrubbing.. then sanding discs or orbital sander, lacquer thinnner, prime and paint. Mine came out great!

 

[Badawg]

Easy off oven cleaner and then pressure washing did a great job for me. I did end up using a grinder with a wire wheel and then my sandblaster to get to the hard to reach places.

 

[pastortom1]

Oven cleaner probably works like the guys say, but the fumes and toxicity are murder..........I just can't take it..........

I use Simple Green (and/or Purple Power) after scraping off everything that will come with a small putty knife.........if you spray and let it set, then spray again and scrub with a scrub brush and a little water (a little....), you'll get great results..........

After this, follow up with a quick respray and general scrubbing again on the whole area, rinse well with a hose, and you're ready to wipe it all down withn lacquer thinner as recommended before...........Then you can sand chipped areas and not ruin your paper or spread a lot of grease around........

Final wipe with lacquer thinner or a prep solvent and paint it........(and wear GLOVES..........good rubber gloves!) Do NOT take a short cut........DO IT RIGHT and it'll last a LOOOOOOOONG time. 8)

 

[klunick]

I can't see your photos so don't know if you have the front together or not. Here is what I did and my k-frame was really grimey. You will need something for it to sit in, then spray it down with simply green(it works). Scrape off as much grime as you can. Now take an old toothbrush and use the liquid in the bottom of the pan and start brushing it good. All the crap will come off but it takes dilligence. Let the k-frame dry. Now, bust out the wire wheel and an angle grinder and go at it. A drill with an extension and various wire wheels can get into some of the harder to get to areas. You are not going to get areas around the steering box perfect or inside the K-frame, but, you ought to be able to get 98% of the k-frame done. Now, weld up the middle seam and check the welds around the steering box perch. Wipe down with alchohol and pime it, followed by your favorite paint. The whole process took about 2 days including drying time etc. As for the actual suspension parts, it was into the parts cleaner followed by a blasting and painting. Many folks get their stuff powder coated but I thought that was overkill. My frontend turned out looking great(no pics, sorry). My k-frame is satin black, lower control arms are a hammered silver, UCA satin black, new Moog bushings, idler arm, pitman arm, tie rods, etc, and some Just Suspension oversized strut rods. This really doesn't take much skill(besides not grinding your hand), just some dedication.

Kirk

 

[mshred]

hey guys thanks for all the tips...i think i know what im going to do..seems pretty straightforward just wanted everyone's opinion....I will post pics of it when im all done...time to get my hands on some simple green!

 

[CudaChick1968]

mshred, while you're at the store getting the Simple Green, get extra gloves. You don't want Easy Off oven cleaner getting on your skin either if you decide to go that route. (I use it all the time to remove anodizing.)

Best of luck with the project and meeting your deadline!

 

[clifftt]

Mshred, I ditto everything everyone has said. It just takes time and patience....a little music in the background helps too. I would add when treating the area under the battery tray, after it is cleaned up, wipe it or brush it with some phosphoric acid to neutralize the rust. Any hardware store carries it in their paint department. Also ,when you paint, aluminum foil works good for masking things under the hood: wiper motor, heater hose inlet-outlets, harnesses,.... And before painting, wipe good, several times with lacquer cleaner, with clean towels, otherwards, you'll get fisheyes in the paint.