Quote:
Originally Posted by cericd
Parts look great. What method did you use to get them so clean
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Thanks Chris. I use time, lots of &^(*&(% time. Just kidding, sort of. Unfortunately everything is painted, so assuming there's a hint of rust:
- Degreaser, quick brush & rinse.
- Paint remover, quick brush & rinse.
- White vinegar diluted with water. Maybe 10-30% water. I reuse it until it's no longer clear. The solution I soaked the last batch in has probably been used 6-7 times now, and I'll reuse it again. I generally let the parts soak overnight, but the last batch didn't even need that.
- Brush/scotch pad and more brushing. I use those little wheels on a Dremmel a lot. They're little bastards and send wires all over the place (just vacuumed the garage, again). If the part requires it, I put WD-40 on it and brush some more. The oil induces flying wires, so I try to avoid it, but it sure works.
- Degreaser & rinse.
- Then I soak them in baking soda/distilled water, maybe 15-20 minutes. No doubt it's overkill and even a waste, but any leftover acid is toast. It leaves a bit of a black coating. Better than water alone, which leaves rust. But good enough for now. I reuse the soda solution as well.
- Rinse well and blow dry. The shop vac works awesome, then I hit it with a blow drier until hot.
Still not done (yikes). Sometimes I brush/scrub the black coating off, like that last batch. I'll do just that with all the parts eventually, before they're refinished. It's very time consuming, but the parts are worth it, I think.
Not much in the way of rust on this truck. Good thing too, I make it hard enough
On a side, only reason I clean the washers and nuts is just cuz. I'm ordering new unfinished, which will be black zinc with the rest. I guess I just prefer the "complete" job, and another option. Some of the bolts will be replaced too, but not many.
Here's some brake & fuel stuff cleaned recently. Some of this shows the black coating from the soda bath.