block prep
 

I took my '32 B block in to a place that bakes the gunk off the blocks, etc.

It had been in storage for a long time, so I put axle grease on mains, cylinders, etc. since things tend to rust where I had to store them.

Now the gunk is baked off, but I have a greasy block. I'm worried about the water jackets and oil passages. Is it possible to soak it gasoline, or ?????,
and use brushes to clean the passages, or is there a better, more foolproof way? I'm a stickler for a clean block, so as to have no silly cooling or debris problems.

Any suggestions?

Re: block prep
 

Baking it should have removed everything. What does your baker say?? Did he put anything on it to "keep it from rusting"?

Re: block prep
 

I would never use gasoline for ANYTHING other than making an engine run. You will end up with nick names like Sparky, Torch, Flame and Stop, Drop and Role. Ask me how I know this. And I wasn't using it to clean with.

Re: block prep
 

I had one done and they told me to spray it with WD40 to keep it from rusting as the cast iron was dried out. You need to ask the facility that did this. wither they put grease on it or did not do it correctly.

Re: block prep
 

Totally what HE said.... Use gunk followed by tide, whatever... One spark with gas and kaboom. I won't post the picture of my face afterwards, but I'm one of the lucky ones. Just the first layer of skin.

Re: block prep
 

ok thanks.

I took it in with a friend who had an "A" block done at the same time. They gave us a discount. His came out dry, mine all oily so I'm sure the grease soaked it everywhere.

Gunk and Tide it is. And some cleaning brushes. I have a brush kit from a 350 I had many years ago, but I need some smaller ones.

Re: block prep
 

If you had the block backed it would have melted the babbitt mains out of the block, after baking it goes into a short machine with small steel short, when it comes out it will be a new casting. It will rust fast if you don't put something on it quick. Walt

Re: block prep
 

What is a "short machine" and a "small steel short"?

Ah ha! I just figured it out. It's a typo.
Walt meant "shot machine" using "small shot"