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By pcmenten - 18 Years Ago
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I'm working on my second intake manifold, this one a 2bbl 4 bolt type. The first intake was a rather rusty ECZ-A 4bbl.
My setup is a 30 gallon plastic barrel with the top cut out, a 6/12 volt battery charger, a piece of 1/2" rebar, and washing soda. I loaded the water with a lot of washing soda and some TSP. I bolted a piece of romex copper wire to the intake and clamped the battery charger clamps to the rebar and romex.
The ECZ-A was in the solution with the battery charger set to 6 volts for about a month. The red rust and all the paint came off, but the surface was still a dark gray color. I assume that the red rust was converted to magnetite, but that the magnetite rust was deep enough that it wasn't going to come out.
I sprayed the cleaned intake with phosphoric acid, washed with water, dried it and painted it Ford Red.
I thought the 2bbl intake was pretty rusty, but in two days the top side is down to bare cast iron, even the exhaust cross-overs are coming clean. I've got it flipped over and I'm working on the underside. It, too, will get a phosphoric acid wash.
I'm thinking I'll paint this engine 'truck yellow' to go into my 54 F100. It has been painted Ford Blue over Ford Red. The block was a B9 and I think it was yellow painted (under Ford Blue).
When I get the time (I work two jobs), I'll get a larger plastic barrel to work on engine blocks.
Questions, comments?
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By Ted - 18 Years Ago
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Definitely sounds like a low buck cleaning system. Do you have to stir the solution on occaision or do the chemicals stay in solution so as not worry about stirring on a regular basis?. I can see where doing blocks would really be advantageous if trying to work the scale out of the water jackets. I'd like to know how this works on blocks if you get set up for something that big.
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By 46yblock - 18 Years Ago
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pcmenten (7/31/2007)
I'm working on my second intake manifold, this one a 2bbl 4 bolt type. The first intake was a rather rusty ECZ-A 4bbl.
My setup is a 30 gallon plastic barrel with the top cut out, a 6/12 volt battery charger, a piece of 1/2" rebar, and washing soda. I loaded the water with a lot of washing soda and some TSP. I bolted a piece of romex copper wire to the intake and clamped the battery charger clamps to the rebar and romex.
The ECZ-A was in the solution with the battery charger set to 6 volts for about a month. The red rust and all the paint came off, but the surface was still a dark gray color. I assume that the red rust was converted to magnetite, but that the magnetite rust was deep enough that it wasn't going to come out.
I sprayed the cleaned intake with phosphoric acid, washed with water, dried it and painted it Ford Red.
I thought the 2bbl intake was pretty rusty, but in two days the top side is down to bare cast iron, even the exhaust cross-overs are coming clean. I've got it flipped over and I'm working on the underside. It, too, will get a phosphoric acid wash.
I'm thinking I'll paint this engine 'truck yellow' to go into my 54 F100. It has been painted Ford Blue over Ford Red. The block was a B9 and I think it was yellow painted (under Ford Blue).
When I get the time (I work two jobs), I'll get a larger plastic barrel to work on engine blocks.
Questions, comments?
Paul, thanks, I want to do this! I do not recall seeing washing soda on the grocery shelf, and how much do you use? What is TSP? On the Romex, doesnt that have a ferous shielding, and would a heavy gauge copper wire work just as well? I have some heads, intakes and a block needing cleaning, and a heavy wall plastic 50 gallon container. It should hold a block and other parts. Mike
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By Joe Johnston - 18 Years Ago
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Go to www.instructables.com & search for "rust removal". You should see a selection "Electrolytic Rust Removal aka Magic". This describes the process in great detail with pictures of the set up. An excellent way to remove rust (according to the article - I have not yet used it). Washing soda is in the laundry detergent selection of larger grocery stores, and not all stores carry it. Washing soda, when dissolved, is also an excellent product to loosen the gunk in a gunked up engine block and cooling system but may be a bit corrosive to aluminum. Used to use it in the 60's and 70's when a someone used water and no antifreeze for longer than they should have.
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By pcmenten - 18 Years Ago
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Washing soda is Sodium Carbonate. I went to three stores before I found some at Winco. I bought a half dozen boxes and used four in the first trial. I also added TriSodium Phosphate, aka TSP, and a little lye (Sodium Hydroxide).
Ted, the washing soda/TSP/lye tends to stay in solution as far as I can tell. After the first (rusty) intake was done, the barrel sat unused for a while and the solution went from being turbid, to having a clear layer on top, and a dark red-brown layer in the very bottom. In other words, some material settled into the bottom. After this intake is done and I do the front cover, I'll siphon off the bottom layer after it settles out.
I've heard that this process doesn't work so well for de-scaling blocks, but I'm going to try anyway. What people have said is that this process tends to be 'line of sight'; the surface closest to the electrode sees the most activity, so an interior surface won't get as much current. I've read several different write-ups of this process and some emphasize using more caustic than others. I used a lot of soda so I think I'm descaling it by virtue of the caustic nature of the solution.
Last year I tried descaling a block by putting it in a steel barrel with water and lye and then heating the barrel with the burner from a turkey fryer. I was disappointed with the results. The block was cleaner than when it comes back from the machine shop, but the scale was hardly effected. I've also tried a molasses/water mixture. That was another effective way to get surface type rust off, but not as effective on the scale.
I'm thinking that to electrolyze scale from the insides of water jackets, I'll have to rig an electrode to stick into freeze plug holes.
But the easiest way to descale might be to use a barrel of Hydrochloric acid.
Mike, I had a 4 foot piece of 2/12 romex laying around so I'm using the ground wire from that. I filed the top of the back boss for the throttle linkage to get a clean, flat place for an electrical connection. I pinched the copper ground wire under a bolt and washer so that it has a good connection. Most of the wire runs through the sheath, and only the end is in the solution.
The front cover will be next. I'm not sure if I should try this on the water pump. I don't know if the seal will hold up to the caustic solution.
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 18 Years Ago
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I don't know if David Church reads this forum, but he has a Redi-Strip business. I have heard that Redi-Strip removes all rust, inside and outside. He could answer for sure, I'm sure he stripped the blocks for his engines. John
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By Glen Henderson - 18 Years Ago
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I think that the Redi-Strip process is all chemical and does a great job on complete bodies as well as parts. I saw a 58 chevy that was striped in Mississippi and it looked great. I assume that it was done at Church's as it is the only Redi-Strip in the south that I know off. My brother in law has a body shop and they just got a soda blast machine from some outfit in FT Worth. It does a great job on sheet metal, alum panels, plastic bumpers ect. , in fact I just carried the front sheet metal for a 62 pickup down yesterday. I don't think they have tried it on cast iron yet, but I'll take a few parts down for him to try it out on. The good thing about soda blasting is that it is fairly cheap, $120 per hr., does not create heat and warp panels like sand blasting, and it is safe to use. The coating that is left on after the process will prevent rust for several weeks, in fact some of the stuff that they shot when they were setting the machine up was left outside and it has not started to rust yet even in the humid weather that we have here in south AL.
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By pegleg - 18 Years Ago
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Check the links, I think David Church is in Missisippi.
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