16 yr old needs help

[truckman72]

I just pulled my first engine and i have some questions. Maybe some advice and some do's and dont's. I have an engine stand that i want to put this engine on. I want to clean it up and fix some leaks and paint it. What is the best way to clean it up. I think its a 327 that was in a donor truck that i bought.

[stich626]

simply green and scotch pans and a old tooth brush
a pressure washer if you got one

[bosco200]

De-Greaser

[jay_shy]

dollar general oven cleaner and a hose.

[rogergodding]

Does the oven cleaner remove the paint and damage chrome or aluminum?

[adpostel]

Simple Green is good, as is cheap engine degreaser. Hate to say it, but that job comes out alot better if done in the back of a pickup at a car wash. Water is usually hot and the pressure works wonders to break up all the old crud. But get lots of cans of degreaser, carb cleaner, brake parts cleaner, whatever is cheap and on sale. Simple green after that works wonders. Be sure to use some doubled up plastic grocery bags and tape to cover your carb and distributor, try not to get water in them. Exhaust is OK, take your starter off. Leave your valve covers on. Then go after fixin your leaks.....There are some good threads on freshening up an old motor. Barring anything broken internally, you'll be able to get that thing running to the best of its ability relatively inexpensively.

[oldblue1968chevy]

Purple power/simple green is not good for polished surfaces it dulls it, trust me.

The carb/valve covers will be dulled if you spray purple power/simple green etc, probably oven cleaner too.

If you dont care of have a spare carb/valve covers. Get some dollar store oven cleaner (five bucks worth plus a soda) and spray that puppy down let it sit awhile, may be a good idea to wear googles.respirator thing this stuff is rough. Id hit it with wire brush after that prior to paint, then a good wash with something to make sure its clean then a few cans of engine paint

(dont skimp on gaskets here please!) Buy Felpro, rubber and 1 piece when you can trust me

[71gmcburb]

remove your headers to get better access to the block and to make them easier to repaint with exhaust paint, pull all accesory drives (alt water pump exc..) and pull the thermostat and housing use duck tape to seal the holes up, and cover the carb and distributer and mask your valve covers if they are chrome plated (paint stripper can peel poor quality chrome) then I would use low solvent Brake cleaner you will need alot of it. It will losen the oils wash it down and leaves no residue afterwords then use a good paint remover to remove the old paint. quality duct tape will stand up to the stripper and brake cleaner then prime and paint the motor and all loose parts with engine paint. If you have painted valve covers it will turn out better if you remove them and mask the area whare the belong before paint and paint them seperatly. then reassemble with all new gaskets and a new water pump and thermostat (cheap ins aganst overheating)

thats how I do mine just my 2 cents

[brad_man_72]

I spent a month with an angle grinder with wire wheel, grinding stone and sandpaper wheels, and a dremel before painting mine. It looks like a million bucks. All of the casting flash and as cast finish will ruin a good paintjob. But if you just want your engine to be orange the other methods work great. I would recommend at least wire wheel on an angle grinder to get loose paint off before painting.

2 pics of that engine ready to install in my boat are in the endine and drivetrain section under "another 350 build... Old school" I need to post a pic before I started painting the engine looked like a delorean.