Cleaning the little parts

[rockford33]

I am in the process of taking apart my engine and replacing parts (if I can find them) or trying to clean up old parts. Some of the parts have some scale, etc. on them (right now, I am looking at cleaning up the clips that hold my fuel injectors onto the fuel rail). Anyone know of a good way to clean these little parts? Any liquid solutions I could soak them in to loosen the dirt/scale? Or maybe sandblasting? TPTools has a little item they call the SpeedBlaster. It is used to sandblast spark plugs, etc. Not sure if my little air compressor can power it though. Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

[tubafeak]

If you can afford/justify it, an ultrasonic parts cleaning cabinet is really good. You can load everything into the cabinet and turn it on. They should come out very clean. Couldn't tell you where to get one but I'd suggest checking some tool stores.

 

[rockford33]

I actually started soaking the 4 clips for the fuel injectors in some Metal Ready by RestoMotive (makers of POR15) that I remembered I had laying around. I looked briefly at the parts last night before going to bed and they were looking a lot better. I might try it with all of the bolts as well (since I had thought about replacing them with some stainless bolts) and see how clean they come out. I am going to check the web and see how much an ultrasonic parts cleaner might run. Since I will be taking apart a good bit of the engine, I might be able to justify the cost depending on how much space it takes up. I was looking into small sandblasting equipment yesterday, but my 2 gal. air compressor isn't enough for even the smallest one. Also looked at some powdercoating equipment (I was bored at work), but not sure if I want to get that into things.

 

[Below Reality]

I tend to use a sandblaster on engine parts, as it cuts through all the embedded goop and stains,and leaves you with a clean surface again.

After blasting, I lightly sand with 600 - 800 grit paper to remove the blasting marks, then it's off to paint or I polish them.

Sandblasters do take a good share of air to operate, and I personally would not recommend it with compressors smaller than 15 gallons.

 

[rockford33]

After blasting, I lightly sand with 600 - 800 grit paper to remove the blasting marks, then it's off to paint or I polish them.

What do you use to paint/polish bolt heads? My concern is that after I go through the trouble to clean up some of the little bits and pieces, they might get some flash rust. I would like to get some nice stainless bolts to replace my existing bolts, but I do not relish the hundreds of trips to Home Depot to try and match up the bolt size/thread/pitch as I work my way through the engine. I was looking at the POR15 coating, but I think it might get scratched up as I tighten the bolts back into place.

Also, what do you use to polish some of the smaller items that have an inside crease? I usually have the most trouble getting into the corners of brackets, etc.

Thanks.

 

[Below Reality]

What do you use to paint/polish bolt heads? My concern is that after I go through the trouble to clean up some of the little bits and pieces, they might get some flash rust. I would like to get some nice stainless bolts to replace my existing bolts, but I do not relish the hundreds of trips to Home Depot to try and match up the bolt size/thread/pitch as I work my way through the engine. I was looking at the POR15 coating, but I think it might get scratched up as I tighten the bolts back into place.

Also, what do you use to polish some of the smaller items that have an inside crease? I usually have the most trouble getting into the corners of brackets, etc.

Thanks.

I typically polish bolt heads with a buffing wheel and compound. Painting them really is not practical when you have to re-install them. I have painted a few bolt heads after they are installed and torqued correctly.

Mask the area around them off and use a standard Acrylic Enamel Dupont Paint via an Air Brush, or small soft paint brush. - Works well enough, but it's more of a headache than anything......


Polishing the odd shaped parts, I'll use different size buffing wheels to get into all the tight areas. You tend to have to get a little creative in moving the part on the wheel though, so more than anything, I'd say practice.