I bought a slightly used set of Trick Flow heads (zero street miles, maybe 25 runs on the strip) to use on the SBC 350 I'm building. Dissassembly shows good looking valve faces and seats, but I've got some carbon I'd like to remove. Back side of valves I can wire wheel. But the old wire brush in a drill that I've used on iron heads for the past 55 years of engine building and wrenching ain't gonna happen, not on aluminum! Have heard WD40 does a fair job of softening the carbon for easy removal. Been wondering about BG44 or Sea Foam. Anybody tried anything that works well and doesn't attack the aluminum? I do plan to use lapping compound to touch up the seats and valve faces to make sure I have a good seal before re-assemly and installation. Dave
Dave, I've always had pretty good results using WD40. Spray it on brush it down with a stiff nylon brush and flush it with more WD. Blot it dry with a clean cotton cloth then spray a light coat for protection. Terry
I just have mine beadblasted, fast and effective, and they charge $15-20 depending on time. Usually don't take more than 20 minutes or so at the shop I go to.
Yeah, that sounds like the easy way out, but by the time you run a tap in every threaded hole and do a decent job of getting all those beads out of the nooks and crannies they manage to hide in, you spent enough time to do it by hand (if you find the right solvent), and you've still got valve guides(usually bronze in alum. heads) loaded with the grit! Still think it's the easy way? Dave
combustion chamber cleaner, it is made to disolve carbon, it's the stuff you spray down the carb of a running engine.
Hey Dave we use an intake and injector cleaner at work made by BG products.It marketed to clean carbon from the injectors valves etc with engine running.Seems to work well and will not harm aluminum. If you intersted let me know I'll get you a can.
the local transmission guy i use has a jet blast cleaner machine that he uses for tranny cases..they come out REAL nice sometimes i talk him into putting an old aluminum intake manifold in it ..they come out nice too. i wonder what it would do to to a pair of aluminum heads? just thinking out loud
If it's not thick, and it shouldn't be with only 25 runs, leave it there. It will keep more heat in the combustion chamber and make more power.
See if there are any 'water blasters' in your area. My mate gets everything done that way. It takes no material and leaves no crap to lean up. Parts come out like brand new.
I agree here,, I used to spray the chambers and piston heads with VHT high temp paint to do just that,, retain heat. my 2 cents.
Well yeah, they make these new fangled things called air compressors with a wand device that cleans them very nicely in about 5 minutes or so. Sorry, I don't get the part about the valve guides. Yes, I still think it's the easy way, at least for me it is.
With only 25 passes they cant be too bad unless they were on one hell of a turd oil burner. I say spray a little carb cleaner and blow them off and install.
A large tank of carb cleaner will do it. So will Walnut blasting. Glass bead? not in my motor thanks. Nitric Acid wash works well also.
Have them powder blasted. It's like a bead blaster but it uses a type of baking powder. It cleans carbon, grease and chrome really well. It also dissolves in water so it's easy to clean up. I've used it on many dirty engine parts that I would never put in a bead blaster. Mike
Pressure washer, soda blaster Will clean then also if you are getting heads back from a shop that has glass beads in the bolt holes find another shop because they have no ideal how to clean parts and the last thing you want to do is put a tap in there to clean the threads out good way to snap a tap of. I glass bead aluminum heads and have never had any one find glass bead in them afterwords. I have a 600 psi pressure cabinet that gets all that out.
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