I currently have cradle and drive train pulled out and ready for prep work. I'll be powder coating the cradle but as far as the transmission goes, how do I clean this thing up to have it painted and looking new? I've taken a wire wheel to it and removed a lot of large debree but that can only get me so far. Any thing I can spray on it or help remove all the grease? Here's some pics of it.
I use brake cleaner, then brush on some old gasoline or kerosene and brush the heck out of it. Then use some Pine Sol,( after pressure washing if you can) rubbing it with a soft plastic scrub brush. Some times that's all you have to do. Let it dry, spray a thin coat of adhesion promoter, or just clearcoat. It'll look great. All I've got is an electric cheapo washer, but your welcome to try it! Your interior stuff is lookin' Great!
Simple Purple or Purple Power, available at just about any auto parts store does wonders. I have used it for years. Just buy yourself a $2 spray bottle while there to spray it on with.
I used it to degrease my transmission some time ago. The imperfections you see in the picture below are the slag, and rough metal, and not dirt under the paint:
If you have a pressure washer, or can borrow one, that will help immensely!
Here is a quick YouTube video of someone using it to clean an engine bay:
[This message has been edited by JohnWPB (edited 12-13-2015).]
Oven cleaner will eat aluminum, this was an old science trick, spray oven cleaner on a sheet of aluminum foil, then with gloves crumple it into a ball, it will start to smoke.
The Easy Off oven cleaner does stain the aluminum. I have used it to soften paper gaskets. We use the Safety Clean parts washer. It is a nonflamable solvent based cleaner. If you can find some. Brake Clean will work, but dries out too fast to work on the heavy areas. If you can't find some Safety Clean, Kerosene or Naphta/lighter fluid. Again as above these are flamable. You'll only need about a cup of it. Brush it on with a stiff brush. Let set. Brush some more on working the heavy stuff with a brush. I would suggest putting an old cardboard box under it unless you want to stain your driveway or kill your grass. Clean your brush out, then use a regular water base cleaner, working it in with the brush. Then hose it off. Let dry then you can paint. Then don't forget to flush out the inside with new gear oil, to help remove moisture. Also make sure you hit your lube points for the throw out bearing and fork pivot.
[This message has been edited by cmechmann (edited 12-13-2015).]
The Easy Off oven cleaner does stain the aluminum. I have used it to soften paper gaskets. We use the Safety Clean parts washer. It is a nonflamable solvent based cleaner. If you can find some. Brake Clean will work, but dries out too fast to work on the heavy areas. If you can't find some Safety Clean, Kerosene or Naphta/lighter fluid. Again as above these are flamable. You'll only need about a cup of it. Brush it on with a stiff brush. Let set. Brush some more on working the heavy stuff with a brush. I would suggest putting an old cardboard box under it unless you want to stain your driveway or kill your grass. Clean your brush out, then use a regular water base cleaner, working it in with the brush. Then hose it off. Let dry then you can paint. Then don't forget to flush out the inside with new gear oil, to help remove moisture. Also make sure you hit your lube points for the throw out bearing and fork pivot.
So will throwing it in a solvent based parts washer not ruin anything internally? Are you plugging the shaft openings? Bc that seems very easy and I have access to a cuda parts washer. Detergent based plus heat for manufacturing equipment.
[This message has been edited by Detainabull (edited 12-13-2015).]
100 Avgas from an airport. No not jet fuel. It cleans like hell & evaporates quickly. Doesnt stink like car gas. Can even use it with an air pressure gun. But it is as flammable as brake cleaner...use it wisely.
Super Clean is junk. I bought some and it dont even clean the sap and bird poo off the rubber roof of my RV. On parts, I usually just use Simple Green and a power washer. For paint on a trans case or similar parts, I like Duplicolor 'Cast Iron' or 'Cast Aluminum' paint. Makes cast parts look like right out of the factory. I have a friend with a 72 Pantera and it has an all aluminum block and transaxle. He sat down with a dremel tool for weeks and polished it all to look like chrome before installing them.
Yes you want to cover the axle shaft openings. Better if you have a set of inner joints to throw in. Mainly using the solvent based to work the brush into the heavy spots. Not to spray all over. We also had the hot water detergent based washer. They suck on anything that is old built up grime. But does a good job after a solvent cleaning.
Ok cool...I have an extra set of axles I can use to plug or I'll just turn down a rubber cork to squeeze in and seal it. Our parts washer is basically a spray with hot water and detergent and does not submerge it. So maybe a combination of a few things will clean this trans right up. I appreciate all of the input. Thanks guys
Super Clean is junk. I bought some and it dont even clean the sap and bird poo off the rubber roof of my RV.
Roger, spray it on there and wait about a minute for it to soak in. Then try cleaning it off. The stuff has always worked great, and got a lot of crud off of my super charger.
I havent had any luck with it on anything at all. It dont even do as good a job on tires as Fantastik or 409 which makes them real nice and black after removing all the road grease that turns them brown. I used the rest of it to clean the floor tiles in the bathroom. On the RV white rubber roof, Simple Green took everything off and made it all nice and sparkling white without even using the power washer.
[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 12-19-2015).]
I've had luck with either the brake cleaner and brush, or for something real dirty, Gunk engine cleaner, and a stiff brush. Let it soak for a while then take it to the local diy car wash and spray it clean.
I wonder what a home media blaster would do. I have one but never tried it. Id use probably crushed walnut shells, make sure all openings are sealed up tight.
I wonder what a home media blaster would do. I have one but never tried it. Id use probably crushed walnut shells, make sure all openings are sealed up tight.
If you are going to do any kind of media blasting, walnut shells would be the only thing to use. Anything else would just be a disaster.
Personally, I wouldn't do any kind of blasting unless it was going to be rebuilt. Media manages to find its way in no matter how well you seal something up.
Yea def not going for the rebuild. Just want it cleaned up and looking nice when I start putting this swap together. Trying to keep things pretty neat looking the first go around.
