Cleaning Old Carbs

[okiedatsun]

What do you all use to clean old carbs with. I am trying to get rid of the petina on some old solexes. Maybe Brasso, rubbing compound???Thanks

[dbrick]

They used to sell a one gallon steel bucket at the auto parts stores full of carb solvent with a basket in it for small parts. NASTY stuff, but it works.
Probably not avail. anymore, it has to be a real hazard. It removed everything except the metal.

If you are just polishing/cleaning the outside, I have had great luck with Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish and the cotton wadded stuff in the can, which might be Brasso. I would try that first before anthing abrasive. The more coarse the abrasive you start with, the more work to get rid of the scratches.

[JoeK]

They do still sell that stuff at the Kragens around here. In California no less. I think it's called Chem-Clean or some such. White can with red and blue lettering. You can leave stuff in there for quite a while to.

[RockFish]

http://www.berrymanproducts.com/Default.aspx?tabid=146

There is a similar product called McKays Parts dip, not sure I'm spelling "McKays" correctly

[Conner]

I used the Berryman's carb/choke cleaner spray and a bunch of paper towels. It is good stuff.
Be warned: if you dip the whole thing a strong solvent will dissolve the rubber gaskets and you will need to get in there and replace them. Spraying and wiping down the outsides is effective and avoids this potential problem.

[okiedatsun]

Thanks for all the help, now I gotta try and find some of that stuff. Thanks again.

[nomadtrash]

Methylene Chloride does a super job on aluminum. It is very nasty stuff. Auto parts places sell it as gasket remover in a spray can. It will eat the rubber, sealant, and gaskets so be careful. Soduim hydroxide will clean aluminum by dissolving it. If you use it carefully by wiping it on with a rag you can avoid damaging the aluminum. Don't soak the parts in sodium hydroxide or you will come back later to find the parts dissolved. Sodium hydroxide is a major ingredient in drano, floor strippers, and some other cleaning solutions including E-Z Off oven cleaner.

My suggestion is to get some floor wax stripper and rub onto the carbs liberally with a rag. Once they start to clean up then spray with B12 chemtool, dunk in vinegar, and then spray with B12 chemtool again.

Those carbs might not be the prettiest but ran like stink on Tetanus.

Andy

[ppeters914]

I believe Leigh just used aluminum polish (Simichrome?) and/or toothpaste to polish his carbs:

http://shiftco.com/features/the_rat/rat_037.html

[dbrick]

I got some Methylene Chloride on my hands once while cleaning off a head gasket. burned really bad, hurt worse than some real bad 2nd degree header/turbo burnsI've gotten. Couldn't run to the garden hose (75 ft away) fast enough. It also seems to be photoreactive, burns skin much worse in sunlight.

Big long gloves and an old leather jacket if I try that again.

I picked up a bottle of Aluminum boat cleanerto clean some old wheels. supposed to remove everything, barnicles, algae etc. Will try it on some scrap parts first. I'll post the ingredients and results.