Re: [HSS] Crankcase Cleaning

Unknown

Hudson29@aol.com wrote:

>

> In a message dated 4/5/01 5:41:16 AM, GTBirdsall@webtv.net writes:

>

> << I

> took the rods and new pistons to the machine shop yesterday to have them

> hang them for me. The rods were bushed to accommodate the smaller rist

> pins. I should have them back next week and can start reassembling. I

> need to start cleaning the aluminum crank case. After years of baked on

> oil and grease it will take awhile. >>

>

> How do you plan to clean the crankcase? The '26 was bead blasted, and

> while the nice snowy AL looks pretty sharp, it is almost certainly the wrong

> finish. The gearbox has a different look, shinier and more uneven. I see no

> reason to suppose that the crankcase should look any different from the

> gearbox. The glass bead finish will probably prove difficult to keep tidy.

> On British motorcycle crankcases there are a number of ways to sharpen

> them up. One fellow swore by Simple Green cleanser, another used an old

> electric turkey roaster and some sort of solvent to steam the parts clean. I

> use LOTS of lacquer thinner and scrubbing with a brush. Has anybody else got

> any ideas to make this messy job go easier? I wonder if steam cleaning might

> do the trick.

>

> Paul O'Neil, Hudson29@aol.com

> Fullerton, California USA

>

I use a mixture of kerosene (parrafin?) and ordinary household detergent

with a wire brush. This leaves the original rough finish of the

crankcase, and cleans out all the dirt and grease. Then it can be

hosed off with high pressure water, preferably a water blaster, but

ordinary garden hose will do. I use a cup full of dertegent to a

gallon of kerosene, and stir it up constantly to keep mixed. The

detergent acts a dispersant so the water can then wash everything off.

An alternative would be to use a commercial degreaser which can also be

hosed off. Just to cheer you up, there is no easy way! I have seen

these crankcases and water pump housings taken to with a disc sander and

highly polished, which looks nice, but certainly does not look original,

and is over-restoring in my opinion. I like things to look as they

came from the factory.

Geoff.