Re: BigKev's 1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe Sedan

Posted by BigKev On 2007/6/3 20:31:45

The de-greasing process is about 50% done at this point. I used a putty knife to scape away the really thick stuff off of the control arms and the other parts of the suspension and steering. It's an amazing combination of grease and dirt.

Then I broke out the oven-cleaner. That crap is pretty nasty, but it does work. Just keep it away from anything rubber or plastic. It pretty much disolves the grease and road tar enough so you can hose it off. I bought a couple $1 cans of it from the 99 cent store. Then I changed the nozzle on the cans with the one from my penetrator. That way I could use the spray tube to direct it into the nooks and cranies.

The stuff works better when you let it soak for several hours. It is supposed to work right away if you can heat the motor up.

I found out that the entire bottom half of my engine still is painted. It was buried under all that muck.

The bad thing about the oven cleaner is that it will flash rust any bare steel in a matter or minutes. It doesnt seem to have the same affect on cast iron.

I think about two more cans of cleaner, and I will have the entire engine totally clean.

On another topic, I think I figured out a better way to mount the alternator that will make it a bit more secure and keep it tucked in closer to the block. I still need to do a little fitting, but I think it will work out pretty well.