Hey guy's I'm looking for ways to save this engine block. I am looking for ways that you might have used to get a engine this rusted apart without damage. I don't care about the lifters, camshaft or pistons. Is there a chemical dip process that would remove all the rust? Thought about dipping in evapo-rust, would this be a good or bad idea? Let me here your miracle stories!

Thanks
Dan.

Several methods are possible, here are a couple:

First....Get it hot tanked to remove all of the grease you can get off.

Use www.safestrustremover.com I'd use this instead of Evaporust, similar product but cheaper and better for larger items.

Use the molasses trick, fill a large container like a horse trough with a 50lb bag of dry molasses and water (bags are sold at feed supplies for horses to eat). Put a tight fitting cover on it, let it ferment for a couple weeks in the sun, soak the block for a week or two (you'll be amazed at the results!)

Scott, I have a hot tank but from past experience once a part has been run through, it loses all lubrication between metal objects and makes things harder to get apart. Not that there could be much oil left between any of the components in this engine. I will look into the safestrustremover and molasses idea.

Thanks!
Dan.

I have used brake fluid as a rust buster for ever.it will break the bond that rust holds on parts.. give it some time to work . that and some heat will go a long way.

If you soak the entire block in Diesel fuel it might loosen it up enough to get it apart. It's messy but worked for me several times.

see if you can find a commercial shop that can (oven) bake it

I was determined to save a 340 that looked like that, just unbolted everything I could un bolt like caps, drove out the rod bolts till I could eventually get the crank out, drilled holes in the perimeter of the pistons till I could drive the center out with the rod, then finally cut a slot in the shell of the pistons with an aluminum carbide then they loosened up enough to kind of peel the out with a chisel on the remaining ridge of aluminum, drove the cam out from the back with a sledge hammer and big brass drift and it came out with the bearings on it instead of the block. There were only a few lifters in it, pried them out with a crow bar and drove em back in a few times till I could get em clear of the cam then drove them through with the cam out.

If the pistons are a problem, and it looks like they will be, LYE eats aluminum. It will take a while, but it will get the job done..... eventually. Lye doesn't affect steel or cast iron so you can let it soak as long as necessary, but everything that is aluminum based will be eaten on.

That's going to take awhile! hope the bearings have prevented the crank/cam from rusting together!

I would get a LOT of penetrating oil like WD40/PB Blaster and start soaking everything. going to need to give it a LOT of time to soak in. Then brute force/muscle to pound out the pistons.

I salvaged a block that was flooded. Most of it came apart easy enough but the pistons were rusted into the bores. finally got it all out but had to break up a few pistons to get them out.

Hope that's a high dollar block or numbers original block there...Otherwise you'll be looking at massive overbore and/or sleeves. Mine ended up bored at .060 to clean up and still had to have 2 holes sleeved eventually. The original shop that did the work got fired after screwing a few things up, the first of which was their decision to bore it .060 instead of telling me how bad it was and letting me use a different block.

(then they told me they measured wall thickness and it was good to go, and it cracked a cylinder wall after 100 miles. by then I had moved to a new state, and it was cheaper to sleeve the cracked hole, and one other thin hole, than it was to prep an all new block)

The hot tank, if using a lye solution, would work as the lye eats aluminum and would remove your pistons for you. I have hot tanked a few blocks and haven't had problems getting things apart later.

RE: scare stories about rust: Mopar Action built a project engine that looked exactly like that and it cleaned up at 30 over. The biggest problem is pits. So you have to see what it really is like.

Pistons will come out. You can jack them out with a hydraulic jack with a hole through the middle. Use a steel rod to pop out the tops, thread a wire rope around the wristpin and through the center of the jack, and pull..
they'll come out.

R.

Thanks everyone, this will give me a few things to try and see how it goes.

Dan.

I agree about the crank journals, mine was still an old greasy block, needed the crank and found rust had eaten it, had to turn it 10-10. 55 gallon drum with vinager or the molasses will work on the rust, just takes time. I'm going to look into the product Scott posted.

Just checked on safe rust, same price as evoporrust at HF, 25 dollars a gallon plus shipping.

I am going to go the molasses route first. Is there an advantage using the liquid or the powder form. I see most vidios say to mix the stuff to a 9 or 10 to 1 ratio. If using the powder, how do you know how much to add ?. Or do you just figure a gallon jug of powder is equal to 1 gallon of water. Is there any advantage to putting an air operated agitator in the drum to keep the fluids moving, or putting heat under it to warm it up.

Thanks
Dan.

Get it apart and take it to a shop that has an Ampro and it will look like new money. I had a Petty hemi that had been buried in the back of his shop that looked that bad. Worked great.
Todd
Try soaking in vinegar for a day or two. It will turn black and you will then need to rinse it well>