I picked up an original set of 2-4's for my nailhead the other day. I took the carbs apart and soaked them in Berryman's chem dip for about 24 hours. They came out pretty clean but there is a lot of oxidation inside and out. They really look pretty ****py. I want these to look as new as possible when I get them all back together. Has anybody ever bead blasted these old AFB's with any success?
soda mabey, sand no good. Too abrasive and it hides and likes to come out when ever it feels like it.
I do all the time, use fine grit, make sure tape of everything very very very good, did I mention tape off good? I do holleys for an older dude who rebuilds them for show cars, he brings me cases and bodies all torn down, I tape and protect what I need, prep and then coat 'em whatever color he chooses.
What Jaws says above + 2 ! Best way to ruin a good carb is to bead blast it... Soda works very well and is water soluable, and friendly to the enviorment. Dave
You can gl*** bead blast them. Soda works good and the clean up is much easer. I have done them both ways. I just did a set of poncho tri-powers that were rough and I gl*** bead blasted them. I also use this carb paint by Tech Line called carb gold. It is the best stuff but is 50 bucks a 4oz can.
I've done dozens of 94s with beads, never a problem for me. I blow them out really well when done, treat 'em with acid and dip them in chromate. I've never received a complaint from any buyers.
definately know that if your media blasting away at the carb housings and such, you can indeed screw em up and eat into the surface real quick. low low pressure or build a soda set up on the cheap and get a mask.
As another said, don't bead blast it. The oxidation you mentioned, are you talking about the white chalky stuff forming inside? If so (i call it the white death) that is from a electro-chemical reaction to the raw metal and the water content in the fuel (from water in the tank or condensation in the bowls), anyway if that is what you are referring to then cleaning won't help. It is a temporary method to hide the problem, the solution is to strip the finish off and reirride the metal. It is a slow time comsuming process and a carb has to be special before i even bother with it, cheaper to replace.
I use the fine gl*** beads on my rebuilds. I do try to hold the parts farther away than I would to remove paint from a steering component. Just don't get carried away with it. I've never damaged any castings with the fine gl*** beads.
Eagle etching mag wheel cleaner does a pretty good job in the float bowls after first s****ing out as much as possible and cleaning with berryman B12 chemtool spray.
Soda blasting. No chance of screwing anything up, rinses with water...ALL of it, and is pretty much idiot proof...
i made that little blaster but used it as a little vac*** cleaner to clean out cylinder when i had to touch up the threads, but back on track i saw soda at the doller store the other day, a good size box.
I worked at recarbco when i was in high school. and thats all i did all day was blast carbs.. just tape off the small holes.
The problem is more the clean up of the beads than anything else....They get in every hole, crevase, nook and crannie. Some carbs have super small drill holes and slots in the base and main body. If you force a gl*** bead under pressure where it gets stock,, you will NEVER get it out. Gl*** beads do a wonderful job of cleaning parts, just not good for carbs IMO. Dave
Check out cheap and easy soda blaster post. Posted today. http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/
I like that soda blasting idea. I'm gonna give it a try. I used to use Berrymans Chem dip many years ago and I was very dissapointed at what a crummy job it does nowaday. It seams that the only thing they retained was the smell. These are the original 2-4 carbs for a Nailhead so I dont want to screw them up. One carb got some water inside and its pretty ugly in there. Both are pretty ****py looking outside. Heres what the worst one looks like now.
when i have an old carb to clean i use "combustion chamber cleaner" for the insides i'm talking about, br*** comes up looking like new, any of that green sludge just dissolves, a good washing with an SOS pad on the outsides does a pretty nice job at removing the corrosion and gives them a little shine.
Thanks for the Soda Blasting tip. I had an airgun laying around with a hose niple on it that I used to use to clean stuff by sticking a hose in some naptha. It worked perfect with the soda. After blasting both carbs I took them in and rinsed them with some hot water in the kitchen sink (dont tell the wife!) and blew them out good. The soda had the ****erflies sticking some but the hot water rinse took care of that. Below is a before and after pic along with the blow gun I used.
You might try pouring a little Lime Away kitchen cleaner in the float bowls and let it set for a while. Works real well on the white crusty stuff and rust deposits. It will take the finish off of the outside of the carb if you get carried away. It'll also clean out the small fuel & air p***ages that bead or sand blasting won't get too. Larry T
This is the 3rd or 4th time I've seen good results from a soda setup on the cheap. I'm definitely going to be doing this on my next Holley rebuild.
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