40+ years of oil, road grime and etc is really hard to remove I've come to find out. Tried the external sandblaster. It works good on small individual parts like the water pump. As far as the block and transmission go....it won't phase it. What has everyone used out there to get their engine and trans stripped down and ready for paint?
I use Greased Lighting, scrub brush and garden hose to get the heavy stuff off. O'Reilly's brake cleaner got the rest
I've used easy off oven cleaner. 1- Spray it on,let it stand an hour or two, 2- Hose it off then let it dry off. 3-Spray on again and place cloth rags (presoaked with oven cleaner) over entire unit, let it soak/stand overnight. 4-Hose off in morning. Mild scraping of wet sludge with a 1" putty knife and a repeat of steps 1&2. About a total of 4 cans are needed. Worked great for me with almost no effort.
hot water blasters work best. But at least pressure wash to quickly pre-clean(zero-rotating or 15-20 degree fan tip works best).. then oven cleaner.. rinse(preferably with the pressure washer again).. heavy detergent scrub/s(good ole' Dawn is still a damned good bang for the buck).. rinse and dry(the drying helps to manually remove that much more)..solvent wipe twice(acetone is the best).. then paint. If you don't have the prssure washer handy just plan on an extra half hour(or so) of elbow grease and.. pre-scrape heavy deposits.. 2 applications of oven cleaner(if really dirty) with an overnight stay.. hose rinse with sprayer.. heavy detergent scrub/s.. rinse and dry.. solvent wipe twice.. paint. and although expensive to do these days.. good old starter fluid is still pretty decent at removing residual spots before the final solvent wipe. I've painted nearly every substrate known to man for many years now.. and the most critical step is that final solvent wipe. Use more than enough paper towels or fresh rags with constant folding to be sure you're not smearing the residue around.. and even cheap paint will stick for a long long time.
I like Mr. Muscle oven cleaner, keep any oven cleaners off of rubber parts/hoses, it will glaze them over.
I tried oven cleaner the other day and wasn't pleased with the results. Greased Lighting and a 2" paint brush to scrub with does a far better job cleaning a greasy engine. You can buy Greased Lighting at the dollar store.
Throw all the tips at it you want. It will come off with most any of them. My final washing would be good old car wash (hot if available). The brake cleaner works good but leaves a residue that will not allow paint to hold at it's best if at all.. It also costs alot..
you must have used the...new and improved scented...brand. I went to the Dollar Store and got the old stuff, it would take the paint off...
