Cleaning & painting engine bay.

[Sport/Truck]

I’m trying to get my truck ready for the new engine.
I made a wooden support for the transmission that spans across each side of the frame and is bolted with 2 bolts. As soon as the weather gets better I plan on rolling it out of the garage.

Does anyone have some good advice on cleaning this? Would TSP work? I don’t want to mess up the paint on the out side. I’m considering painting the fire wall to correct some unsightly areas- mainly around the brake res. which has leaked at some point and messed up the paint.

s/t

[superman3405]

I ended up cleaning with a brush and some soap while my engine was out, then took a can of gloss black spray paint and went over the firewall and fenders, taping a small tarp to the outer paint so I did not get any on it. It is not show quality by any means but certinaly cleaned up all the scratches and discolorations. Once I put the new motor in I thought to my self that looks pretty good. Good luck

[special-K]

I`ve cleaned them up with laquer thinner,then washed with soap.

[shifty]

Pressure washer. Be sure to scrape any lumps of grease off with a putty knife before going over anything.

If it's just simple grime, Simple Green removes things very well, is environmentally safe (will make your grass nice and green ), and safe for paint. I use it to clean my wheels.

A lot of the guys here use oven cleaner to get off serious grime, and I'll tell you what, it does work for caked on grease. Nothing shy of sandblasting beats a pressure washer though.

[Sport/Truck]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I’ll get the power washier out and some simple green (I didn’t know it was environmentally friendly). I’ll connect it to the hot water from my boiler to help cut the grime.
I think I’ll look for some factory paint in an aerosol can, perhaps from my local paint shop.
s/t

[ChevyDude]

Oven cleaner works wonders...let it soak...blast, scrape , re apply and soak and re soak, repeat, repeat....that's how I did mine

[wibilly]

be carful running hot water though your power washer. only the best quality pumps seals will hold up to hot water. check with manufacture to avoid damage to your pump

[shifty]

I just used regular water from the hose, and used the 15º nozzle (tight angle). I used this setup to completely blast the grease and oil off my inline 6 when i pulled it out, and used it to clean out the entire bay when the drivetrain was out.

[EAST SIDE LOW LIFE]

Originally Posted by superman3405

I ended up cleaning with a brush and some soap while my engine was out, then took a can of gloss black spray paint and went over the firewall and fenders, taping a small tarp to the outer paint so I did not get any on it. It is not show quality by any means but certinaly cleaned up all the scratches and discolorations. Once I put the new motor in I thought to my self that looks pretty good. Good luck

**********************************************************

Superman has the right answer on this one! Do what he suggests, do a gental scrub, take your time rinse with clear water and sponge. Let dry and take the time as he say's to protect your paint. Pick your paint semi flat or gloss and ..... whow does that look good.

esll.

(Post a pic of the fresh engine bay ..... )

[PanelDeland]

wibilly is right about the hot water.I use steel wool to do the final cleaning and give the old paint some "tooth" to adhere to.

[Sport/Truck]

Originally Posted by ChevyDude

Oven cleaner works wonders...let it soak...blast, scrape , re apply and soak and re soak, repeat, repeat....that's how I did mine

Originally Posted by wibilly

be carful running hot water though your power washer. only the best quality pumps seals will hold up to hot water. check with manufacture to avoid damage to your pump

Originally Posted by shifty

I just used regular water from the hose, and used the 15º nozzle (tight angle). I used this setup to completely blast the grease and oil off my inline 6 when i pulled it out, and used it to clean out the entire bay when the drivetrain was out.

Originally Posted by EAST SIDE LOW LIFE

**********************************************************

Superman has the right answer on this one! Do what he suggests, do a gental scrub, take your time rinse with clear water and sponge. Let dry and take the time as he say's to protect your paint. Pick your paint semi flat or gloss and ..... whow does that look good.

esll.

(Post a pic of the fresh engine bay ..... )

Originally Posted by PanelDeland

wibilly is right about the hot water.I use steel wool to do the final cleaning and give the old paint some "tooth" to adhere to.

Thanks for all the great suggestions.
I’m glad I didn’t use the hot water before reading this!
Any specific oven cleaner I should use?
Steel wool, what grit? After reading about oven cleaner I automatically thought of the brass steel wool things for cleaning dishes lol.
Thanks,
s/t

[WinDancer]

You might want to consider semi-gloss. The full gloss is a ***** to keep clean. The semi doesn't show fingerprints so bad and still wipes clean.
Post some pics when you finish?
Good luck

[RetroSBK]

Second the oven cleaner! It works awesome! understand that oven cleaner, or a pressure washer will quickly take it down to bare metal, which if you even TOUCH it, will leave a rusty fingerprint, even under the paint...

My process is pretty simple, but works great...

Bag the entire truck body thats still on the frame with visquen, using duct tape to seal the seams closed.

Spray the entire area down with a serious foamy coat of EZoff oven cleaner, aloowing it to sit for 20-30 min (best to do on a nice warm day) scrape the heaviest areas with a putty knife and a wire brush (be SURE to wear eye protection, breathing protection, and big ole kitchen dishwashing gloves, along with clother you wont ever wear again)

Then, get out the pressure washer and blast the hell out of it! remember that every part has at least 4 sides to it, so be sure to get under and around all the nooks and crannies.

When you are done there..... break out your leaf blower, and blow the area dry, without touching it with your hands or clothes

Using some lint free towels, wipe the entire area you just cleaned with PrepSol, and mix some etching primer, then spray it onto every surface you just cleaned, blasted, and treated. You can get this in spray cans too.

Once that has had flashed, spray with some semi gloss paint, in small light coats, and finish with a urethane clear. Be sure to use the clear, as it makes it a lot more durable!

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Will

[cstm68]

Originally Posted by superman3405

I ended up cleaning with a brush and some soap while my engine was out, then took a can of gloss black spray paint and went over the firewall and fenders, taping a small tarp to the outer paint so I did not get any on it. It is not show quality by any means but certinaly cleaned up all the scratches and discolorations. Once I put the new motor in I thought to my self that looks pretty good. Good luck

thats what i did
check out my build thread for the after pics