Moparts

Greasy grimey parts!

Posted By: moparbroz

Greasy grimey parts! - 03/02/12 08:34 PM

I have so many really good original parts for my project but they are caked with years of grease and grime. For example I have a trans cross member that is just caked with years of grimy greasy crud. I was thinking of soaking it in a bucket with a concoction of a good mixture of a cleaning agent. My question is what should I use? Simple green? What are your suggestions? Also have parts like my awesome 1969 BB torqueflite that obviously won't fit in a bucket. Spray with simple green and wipe? Suggestions from my Mopar brothers and sisters would be appreciated! Thanks much in advance!
Posted By: 65rbdodge

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/02/12 08:56 PM

dollar store oven cleaner, lemon scented if you like. spray on let it soak for 10 minutes, scrub with a brush, hose off. wear rubber gloves/saftey glasses and do it outside.
Posted By: stumpy

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/02/12 09:02 PM

Local carwash.
Posted By: Challenger 1

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/02/12 09:13 PM

Invest in a pressure washer and a parts washer with mineral spirits. Both are needed if your gonna rebuild cars.

Gasoline also works great for cleaning parts and is cheapest.
Posted By: moparbroz

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/02/12 09:32 PM

Very good! All excellent suggestions. I have taken parts to the car wash with great results. Issue there is it isn't as convenient as doing it at home (I know, what a whiner huh?). I have been lookin at pressure washers, parts washers, etc for years but have never pulled the trigger due to the dollars involved. I have never used gasoline to clean so....maybe I will give it a try. I hae used oven cleaner before and it worked ok. Thanks again!!
Posted By: roe

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/02/12 11:07 PM

When I did my engine bay it was horrible, just thick caked on crap. I sprayed it with oven cleaner then wire wheeled it. Then degreaser and wire wheeled it again. Then I scrubbed it all down with a really soapy mix using Ajax dish soap with bleach and stiff bristled brushes. Then sprayed with brake kleen right before painting. It worked awesome and was cheap. Took me a full day to really get my whole bay spotless, nooks and crannies included.

Roe
Posted By: kentj340

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 05:21 AM

Parts that are really caked-up with grime should be scraped with a plastic knife or similar item that won't make scratches.

Soaps meant for dish washing machines usually contain amonia and are much stronger than soaps meant for hand dish washing. In fact, you should never use dish wash machine soap on good paint.

Strong dish washer machine soap, an old toothbrush, plus very hot water works very good. And it's free, and you don't have to take time off from playing with your car to go get some - just open the cabinet door under the sink, and there it is!

Just be sure to clean up the kitchen sink before wifey sees it.
Posted By: 79powerwagon

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 11:47 AM

Long-time nearly invisible member Alan LOVES his wife's dishwasher, as it does the best job!

His wife (on the other hand) isn't impressed...
Posted By: MoJoe

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 01:38 PM

I just rebuilt my front end that was just caked with grease and dirt. I used Purple Power diluted 50% in a big tub. I soaked everything for a couple hours... scraped and scrubbed real good, then rinsed, then back in for a couple more hours... scrub/rinse, ect... Purple power removed the old paint and even looked like it started to eat away the rust. After a real good rinse and a hit with full strength PP on the stubborn stuff I put everything into the dishwasher... I put everthing that will fit in the dishwasher it works great and gets everything ready for whatever finish you want. I used Rustoleum rust converter and black Krylon semi gloss on my front end and although not correct everthing looks brand new.
Posted By: mopar4ya

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 01:59 PM

Load everything up and take it to your nearest machine shop. Have them run it through their cook tank. Might cost a few bucks, but it's fast and you don't have a mess to clean up at home. This will only work for disassembled parts, not the transmission.

Dan
Posted By: 340duster340

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 02:32 PM

I have done all of the above, but recently started using a steam blaster after easy stuff scraped off and degreaser applied directly to part
Posted By: bonefish

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 02:41 PM

Quote:

Parts that are really caked-up with grime should be scraped with a plastic knife or similar item that won't make scratches.

Soaps meant for dish washing machines usually contain amonia are much stronger than soaps meant for hand dish washing. In fact, you should never use dish wash machine soap on good paint.

Strong dish washer machine soap, an old toothbrush, plus very hot water works very good.

Just be sure to clean up the kitchen sink before wifey sees it.

this pretty much sums it up for the average guy at home,no easy fix just good ole fashon elbow grease.
Posted By: Commando1

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 02:42 PM

Quote:

I have done all of the above, but recently started using a steam blaster after easy stuff scraped off and degreaser applied directly to part


I would KILL for a quality (read: $$$) genuine steam pressure washer. Can't even rent one down here in Fumbuck County...
Posted By: ahy

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 02:59 PM

Quote:

Invest in a pressure washer and a parts washer with mineral spirits. Both are needed if your gonna rebuild cars.

Gasoline also works great for cleaning parts and is cheapest.



Good advice. They don't need to be expensive or fancy to help a lot. For many years I used a small inexpensive electric pressure washer... very helpful. A $70 parts washer from Harbor Freight works wonders. The 10 gallons of mineral spirit needed to fill it is a little expensive (don't use gasoline in this!).

For really nasty chassis parts with baked on grease and dirt, oven cleaner, ammonia or even paint stripper + pressure washer works well.

The way to use ammonia is to "gas it". Get a heavy trash bag, put the part(s) in it, add a pint or two of janitors strength ammonia, and seal. Let it work for a few hours or overnight, remove and pressure wash or scrub. Just don't do aluminum parts this way.
Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 04:07 PM

small parts, for a quick degreasing, I'll use a coffee can, a splash of gasoline, and a brush.

Yes, gas is expensive,but it's cheaper than a gallon of paint thinner, mineral spirits, etc.


but purple power is also good stuff! I've taken a set of sludged abused heads that were sitting outside in a closed up engine for years, and the thing filled with water, mixed with the oil. it was like a milkshake inside. Soaked the heads in a 5 gallon bucket with purple power in it for a week. when I removed the heads, they looked like brand new fresh castings!! the paint, rust, grime, was gone
Posted By: moparmarks

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 04:09 PM

Easy Off and the car wash.
Posted By: LS-300

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 04:16 PM

Quote:

Easy Off and the car wash.


I a lot of times use the engine degreaser at the self wash. Advantage using the self wash is you can work until satisfied and they have a pit for the grease run-off as to not pollute too bad. It's also cheap!
Posted By: JDMopar

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 04:40 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Easy Off and the car wash.


I a lot of times use the engine degreaser at the self wash. Advantage using the self wash is you can work until satisfied and they have a pit for the grease run-off as to not pollute too bad. It's also cheap!



The worst part about degreasing parts at the car wash nowadays, is that you have to wear a ski mask and hoody like the unibomber to do it! All of the local car washes have signs that say "DO NOT WASH OUT TRUCK BEDS,OR CLEAN GREASY PARTS,ETC, " All of em have cameras, so look around before you make a mess you might have to pay to clean up.
Posted By: moparbroz

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 04:58 PM

All great suggestions. Thanks much!
Posted By: moparbroz

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 05:05 PM

Is this the purple power everyone is talking about?

http://www.clean-rite.com/
Posted By: moparbroz

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 05:20 PM

Or is this the stuff?

http://purplepower.com/
Posted By: hemi71x

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 05:22 PM

Probably where in the USA you life, it might be called something different.
Here in California it's marketed as Super Clean.
Before that, Castrol Super Clean. Then the EPA regulations probably made them do things differently.
I'm sure "Purple Power" is the same thing as this stuff.
Works great.

Attached picture 7102955-superClean.jpg
Posted By: moparbroz

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 05:24 PM

I am in Southern California. Where best to purchase? Autozone? Target?

Quote:

Probably where in the USA you life, it might be called someting different.
Here in California it's marketed as Super Clean.
Before that, Castrol Super Clean. Then the EPA regulations probably made them do things differently.
I'm sure "Purple Power" is the same thing as this stuff.
Works great.

Posted By: hemi71x

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 05:27 PM

I get mine at Autozone.

Go to Home Depot and get yourself some rubber gloves, when you use this product, if you already don't have gloves.
Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 05:41 PM

Yup. available at just about every car parts store in town. I buy the 1 gallon jugs, or the 2.5 gallon jugs, but they all look the same as this spray bottle:

http://www.clean-rite.com/purplepower_industrial_strength_cleaner_degreaser.html


use it on your garage floors, greasey parts, etc. it works great. sprinkle a little straight onto the floor, use a pushbroom to scrub it around, then hose it off. leaves your floors clean as new! (as long as the stains haven't soaked into the porous concrete)

but yes, absolutely you MUST wear gloves when getting your hands into this stuff. I was just dunking and swishing some oil covered parts in a bucket of the stuff, no real prolonged exposure...I just dunked the parts, swished them around, then dunked them into a water rinse bucket.

after about 10 minutes of that, my hands were burning and red.

for the next week, my hands were flaking and peeling dry dead skin off from the chemical burns I received from such short exposure time to the purple power!
Posted By: flypaper

Re: Greasy grimey parts! - 03/04/12 05:58 PM

Quote:

I get mine at Autozone.

Go to Home Depot and get yourself some rubber gloves, when you use this product, if you already don't have gloves.



get the extra thick lined gloves
anything less will not last very long no matter what the label says on it
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