I'm a noob. A total, effing, noob. So this is the first hot rod I've ever worked on. I think it'd be super cool to rebuild the ol' Y. So I start tearing into it. And about the time that I get to the crank I realize what a hot tank is for. So that I don't have to keep moping up all the crud/sludge/**** from off the floor. It also might help so that I don't have to s****e 3 inches of dirt and grease off each bolt to get a wrench on it. I have no pride, so learn from my mistakes. Wash you engine before you start turning bolts. Especially if it's sat for 5 decades.
eh. it happens. some of your best deals are gonna be ****py-looking . nothing wrong with a grease-ball.. unless your sister want's to marry one!
Years ago when I worked in a local auto parts store you could buy the chemical used in hot tanks. So I made my own. Don't remember what the stuff was now, but it worked.
your trying to get away from the mess but here are three ideas and always remember you will have a mess somewhere at some time even if it is cleaning the bottom of your parts washer when it is clogged at the most inconvinant time. 1. Disasemble some of the parts put it in hte back of your truck and go to the car wash at night 2. s**** the heavy stuff presure wash and scrub with dollar store dish detergent. Then spray the block down with eather to disipate soap suds and water. 3. Disasemble it bag parts and take it to any local engine shop for a little bit of cash or a favor trade he is apt to drop it for you. #3 being the best because you network with a valuble person. I my self have delieverd parts for my motor builder to other people and he has always remebered.
I called a local dude, at charlies machine shop and he said he'd wash the engine and magnaflux heads, block for $30. Looking tempting now....
30 bucks for a wash and magnaflux..that isnt bad. and you will know you have something worth putting more money into
I have a home hot tank sold as a kit by a company that I think is gone...55 gallon drum with an electric heater. The chemical, not the old killer stuff but a relatively safe and disposable alkaline powder, is available it two grades: One that is safe with aluminum, though it will totally strip crud and paint, and a fiercer kind usable only on ferrous stuff. The heavy duty stuff has some ability to remove rust. Roughly $50 for enough to fill the barrel. You MUST heat the stuff...it is ferocious heated, only about 120 degrees I think. A little bit too hot for hands but not by much. Heaters are available for 55 gal. drums but are fairly expensive...probably elements from an old hot water heater would be the things to try. I'd put this thing ahead of most home appliances in usefulness!
I ll tell you a trick my buddy does to degrease his block .He loads it in his truck Goes to a self service car wash and degreases and pressure washes the block .Then drives off ,The mess he hoses into the drain ,He even does the parts that way when torn down And then soap and water after that .He's no novice either Went through Gm school.And works as a Forklift mechanic because he don't like screwing people for commission .
hot tank is for engine parts that are already dis***embled, you're gonna get dirty and make a mess taking it apart. That's part of the fun. dig the nice smell that comes out of the main bearing cap bolt holes btdt too many times.
I'd much rather start with a oily greasey engine than a rusted one. The grease kind of preserves them. Makes em easier to take apart. Keeps the Go Jo guy in business to. Good luck.
you spend a lot less time pulling down a greasy engine because all the bolts have been nicely lubricated. we have a hot tank at my work. that thing will get up to 180 degrees. but we didn't want to have to mess with the costic soda so we just run tide with bleach in the thing. seems to do a pretty good job at taking all the grease and dirt off the hydraulic pumps we work on.
That's what I used, a water heater element, and installed it into a 55 gal Drum (used one in my still also, but that's another story) with a grate on the bottom to protect the element. Wish I still had it. Wish I had a place big enough to still have it.
I sprayed a couple of rounds of dollar store oven cleaner on mine. Let it work a while, then hooked up hot water to my pressure washer. Worked great!
That's sick... But for some reason I did enjoy that musky smell of burnt 50 year old ***embly grease... HA HA HA. I didn't compare to the ****py smell of the old Anti-Freeze that she puked out. Whoo-wee Marla!
There used to be a guy in this area who made and sold hot tanks that were made with what was probably 14 gauge steel and angle iron. a steel box big enough to put a straight 8 Buick block in if you wanted to. He put a piece of sheet metal in one for a guard for the heater element and used a common water heater element to heat it. There are still several floating around the area. We used to buy Caustic at the parts house but from what I have heard lately several guys are using a Mix of Oil Eater and water with good results. I've been buying Oil Eater at Costco and spraying that on my parts when I take them to the car wash to wash them off. It works pretty good on most old engine grease.
Hot tank is the best(in my opinion) but a good backyard cleaning can be done with oven cleaner. The best cleaners are also dangerous to skin and lungs........ Block clean brush kit is a good thing to have also.
First sir i applaud you for picking a y block, Theyre very underused in my opinion. And as for how to hot tank it, I could not offer much advice, we get ours done free at the community college. Regardless, good luck.
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