Time to clean my v8, any advice appreciated...

[Jameswood345]

It is about time that I cleaned up a V8 block that I have , it is covered in the usual kind of cr@p and needs to be cleaned to a fairly high standard and polished/buffed. It is an on going project and won't need to go back in a vehicle.

Any idea what product would be best to clean it up with?

Would electroplating be an option to give it a nice finish or would this be very costly?

Any help much appreciated.

James


P.s It is only the lower block to start with, I have removed the head, gear box, crankshaft, camshaft etc. They are not so important for now.

[TonyN]

First up what is it????? Rover, chebby, big block????? I gotta know

Plating it not really a sensible option, unless you making a wine rack or coffee table out of it.

Sand blasting is you best bet, other than that, good oven cleaners are great for getting oily grime from engine parts, but go careful if its alloy, it'll melt!!!

[Jameswood345]

Hi, it is a rover V8, I will have to go easy with the oven cleaners but I may well get it sand blasted.

[fenman666]

hi mate when its blasted ask for it to be done with bead it will give you a much better finish

[Linda]

So if its not going back in a vehicle what is it destined for???

:nosey of basingstoke:

[Jameswood345]

It is destined for a little project, don't want to say what it is at the moment in case it doesn't work out and I may look a bit of a t1t

I will be asking for a few more bits of advice on the project and will post pics as soon as I can.

Will sand blasting firms do bead blasting? Any idea at how much it will cost? How clean will it be after blasting

cheers

James

[Linda]

It is destined for a little project, don't want to say what it is at the moment in case it doesn't work out and I may look a bit of a t1t

I will be asking for a few more bits of advice on the project and will post pics as soon as I can.

Will sand blasting firms do bead blasting? Any idea at how much it will cost? How clean will it be after blasting

cheers

James

Well - good luck whatever it is!!

[TonyN]

Will sand blasting firms do bead blasting? Any idea at how much it will cost? How clean will it be after blasting

cheers

James

bead or sand should all be available, Don't think many people use sand anyway.

It'll look like new, better than even!

You need to spend ages with an air line or parts washer tank making sure evey nook and cranny, oil galley, water galley's, etc are clean of grit before rebuilding it.

[wibblywobbly]

How shiny do you want it?

Anything can be buffed to a mirror finish if that is what you want. The problem is time.

If you do it yourself be prepared to spend hours and hours with polishing mops and various grades of buffing compound. Likewise the pro's will charge you for labour. Cetem do kits.

As a rough guide, it takes around 3 hours to get a mirror finish on a motorcycle fork leg, and that is starting with something that has a polished and lacquered surface to start with!

Bead blasting will give you a 'new' look, but as the previous post says, you then have to clear every last grain from every last orifice or you run the risk of wrecking the re-assembled engine.

I hope that this helps.

Cheers

Rob G

[sumo]

:

So if its not going back in a vehicle what is it destined for???

:nosey of basingstoke:

Not another little green TRACTOR

I got the Tony bug ??????

2 x suzi both in bits Oh god what have I done. She's gonna kill me.

[Elvz]

Easiest cheapest way to clean a block is to take it to an engine builder and have them throw it in their chemical tank for a while... Rover V8's make rather nice coffee tables

[Jameswood345]

Elvz, will any engine builder have these tanks? any idea how much they will charge?

Thanks for your replies, you have highlighed my worries with sandblasting as it is going to take a long time to clean up.

I do like the chemical tank idea.


Cheers

James

P.s I like the coffee table anyone have one of these?

[Elvz]

Any proper engine machine shop should have a chemical cleaning tank and it does get parts very clean compared to other methods.

It isnt labour intensive and they already have the tank running so it should be quite cheap.

[Jameswood345]

Anything can be buffed to a mirror finish if that is what you want. The problem is time.

If you do it yourself be prepared to spend hours and hours with polishing mops and various grades of buffing compound. Likewise the pro's will charge you for labour. Cetem do kits.

As a rough guide, it takes around 3 hours to get a mirror finish on a motorcycle fork leg, and that is starting with something that has a polished and lacquered surface to start with!

Bead blasting will give you a 'new' look, but as the previous post says, you then have to clear every last grain from every last orifice or you run the risk of wrecking the re-assembled engine.

I hope that this helps.

Cheers

Rob G

Have you used cetem? do you know any good supplies?

I am thinking it will need at least 30 hours to get a polished but not mirrored finish.

Cheers

James

[TonyN]

:

Not another little green TRACTOR

I got the Tony bug ??????

2 x suzi both in bits Oh god what have I done. She's gonna kill me.

Bwahahaha! who's up for some tractor pulling events in the horse field!