TOPIC:

I must admit i'm greener than i would like to be but hey i got a bike finaly and i'm getting better. im confident that my 440 engin will run my question is in cleaning all the oxidation and weather wear. casing point cover ect. I'm not apoused to trail and error but you guys clearly know what your talking about.soooo what kinda things would you do to an engine thats sat for 10 years? if i can get a camra i'll add some pics (clearly you love them here)

As long as you are sure that thing runs--you can do a couple of things--

Once is to have it bead blasted--its similar to sand blasting--but they use small glass beads. I have seen a few bikes that had this done and it looks fantastic.

Otherwize you can get some jewels rouge and buff that thing till it shines. I have done some of this on my bike already and it really makes a difference.

Good luck.

The cleaning method below works for non painted aluminum parts. I have used Easy Off oven cleaner to clean up cases before. I only recommend doing this if the motor is out of the frame. The oven cleaner works like a paint striper, it will remove anything. Another product that works well is a self etching mag cleaner and a brush. The mag clenaer will remove paint also if it is left on to long. Try a test spot before doing the whole engine. Try not to get any of the clenaers on any rubber parts also.

thanks for the input, i had a go with a scoth bright on the points cover and its coming along fine (arms real tierd) so i wont be doing the whole motor this way! oven cleaner eh....bound to have some of the around,would you apply and let set or work it in as you scrub? beading does sound like the best option but I dont have the means:( i'll keep you guys updated and still working on the pic thing (always thought the digital thing was a fad like beta tapes)

Depends on how trick you want to get with it.

From mere cleaning to mirror finishes, it's all possible - just a matter of time, effort and a bit of experience.

I just put up a rather long-ish post on essentially the same topic a few days ago, so rather than re-type it, I'll just paste it here:

Re:aluminum cleaning. - 2006/05/02 11:33

If you've got a well-ventilated work area (like outside, maybe?) and like the aroma of solvents, most local Whatzit Stores carry cans of brake cleaner for about $2. A few cans of that and a collection of *SOFT* wire brushes will do utterly amazing things to accumilated crud, oil stains and aluminum oxides.

The small round-type *SOFT* wire brushes usually found hanging around Safey Klean (tm) parts washers and Sears Hardware stores do a nice job 'tween the fins. A Dremel tool or better yet a die grinder with an assortment of round *SOFT* wire wheels will get you just about anywhere on a motor you want to go, and do it *much* quicker than by hand. A die grinder (electric or pneumatic) is the "Tool Time" version of a Dremel - *More Power! woofwoofwoof* Extra points and less headaches for a light touch. And get the best full-span saftey glasses or goggles you can find and wear them - you're about to spin a wire wheel up past 10,000 rpm. The word for today is *pincushion*.

The reason I'm hyping *SOFT* brushes is that it's quite possible to put leave swirl-marks and even erode the aluminum surface if you get a bit froggy with it. A soft brush protects your parts from the leering schlepp with a power tool in his hands and a burnished-metal dream in his eyes - in other words, you. Go easy. Be patient - much the same as those self-ed books on how to stick your girlfriend to the ceiling, there's a shine in that metal, you just have to bring it out.

Brake cleaner evaporates real quick, so there's a learning curve to how much to apply and how wet to get an area. (no, I'm not talking about your gal-pal here - get your mind back on the metal...) It's possible to do a whole motor with 2 cans, but for a first-timer, add a 1-2 can *Newbie Factor*.

There's scads of grits for Scotchbrite, and the finer ones are okay for aluminum, but personally, I never use the stuff. And it's *DEADLY* to chrome in any form. Anyone found using Scotchbrite on chrome should be permanently demoted to owning nothing finer than a Hoctuie (yes, that's a real (Chinese) brand - pronounced HOCK - TWO - EEE) 50cc scooter.

Beware - cleaning aluminum exposes you to a much more invasive disease - the dreaded *Polishing Virus*. It's possible to buff aluminum to a point that even close lookers will swear it's chrome. I know, I've been trying to shake the bug for nigh on 20 years. But that's another long, long... well, maybe several posts.

If the aluminum is real oxidized I will spray the oven cleaner on and let it set for about a minute and spray some water on it and lightly scrub then rinse very well. The end result should be a real clean darker aluminum color. After this process it is very easy to polish up.

thanks for the re-post sorry i misse dit the first time

I realize that everyone has different techniques that work best for them, so I'm not saying don't use oven cleaner.
BUT I used Easy-Off oven cleaner on a couple of my parts in the beginning of my rebuild and I gotta tell you..........................
I was shocked! I thought I had completely ruined the piece (valve cover). It was about as dark as it could get w/o turning black.
My suggestion is to find someone in your area that has a powdercoating business. They will beadblast pieces for you for a very reasonable fee. Example, I took a set of engine cases (KZ900) to a guy and he only charged me $30!
For my money, that was thirty bucks well spent! Imagine what it would have cost me in hours and energy if I had tried to clean it by hand!
I see you live in Cincinnati; check out the Yellow Pages. I'm sure there are some listings there. Too bad there isn't a baseball team there! (Go Astros!)
Another venue to check out would be an antique car club. I'm SURE they have had some media-blasting done before.
Good Luck.
Jim

thanks for the heads up inline i'll try a smaller peice to try it on while i consider dropping 30 bucks and be done but im not looking for show room if it gets clean i can buff right. pot shots at the reds dont bug me but they are easy to give being a game and a half back

Mmmm.
A SASSY new member.
I like that!
(All in good fun my friend, all in good fun).

I've only tried the oven cleaner idea a couple of times, and didn't much care for the darker reult myself. As near as I can tell, there's an oxidizing reaction going on that is breaking down soils-grime-dirt - call it what you will - into microscopic particles and embedding it in the pores of the metal.

The reason I like brake cleaner, aside from the aroma , is that it breaks down the soils and oils and leaves the metal alone.

Hands down, bead blasting is the *big gun* of cleaning processes. But likewise, you don't use a .458 Weatherby Magnum on a duck unless you want the feathers to come down in the next county.

Beading is fine for inner cases, jugs, heads, inner cam covers - anything that isn't normally polished or chromed from the factory. It will leave clean metal behind, but the texture will be rough and the sheen non-existant.

The problem with a beaded finish is it doesn't last all that long. Open pores, maxed surface area. Dirt, oils, grit and oxidation set in pretty quick. And it eats polish. A soft wire wheel applied with even pressure to a freshly beaded surface will knock the peaks off the surface, close a lot of the pores, and give it a soft metallic sheen.

The jugs, head and inner cam cover in this shot were bead blasted and wire wheeled:




The dyno, countershaft and cam cover ends weren't. They were cleaned with brake cleaner, sanded and then polished. If you ever plan to polish your dyno, clutch, countershaft and timing covers, re-read the first post - following it will save you a step or two.

NOTE: DO NOT sandblast aluminum. EVER. Fine grit in the sand gets in the pores of the aluminum, giving it a mottled, "dirty" looking finish that you'll play hell to get rid of.

It's possible to do some amazing things with 600, 1000 and 1500 grit wet sandpaper and a bottle of cheap, amonia-based glass cleaner.

The polished covers in the above shot were actually left a bit on the *buff* side by design - to approximate the "factory new" finish a bike of its day would have had.

Want to *crank it up a notch*?

Post edited by: Pterosaur, at: 2006/05/08 00:01