TWT -- The Wrenching Thread (13 Viewers)
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Well @JohnVee is back in town and wants to do lunch…. I realized my 40 has had cut-lines via blue painters tape on my front PS fender since he first saw it back in 2016…. I opted to use the avoidance of a good ribbing to get off my @ss and motivate today…
7 hrs of bending, cutting, converting, laying down metal boogers and then grinding…. Then repeat a few more times…
The fender has been ready for surgery for six years
My make shift English wheel and bender combo
Opted to get the curve right and deal with bending the lip later…. Bad move in hindsight
Bending the lip proved to be a real PITA
Really proud of the curve…. Too bad the rest of the fender is even worse than my work with the metal glue stick
7 hrs of bending, cutting, converting, laying down metal boogers and then grinding…. Then repeat a few more times…
The fender has been ready for surgery for six years
My make shift English wheel and bender combo
Opted to get the curve right and deal with bending the lip later…. Bad move in hindsight
Bending the lip proved to be a real PITA
Really proud of the curve…. Too bad the rest of the fender is even worse than my work with the metal glue stick
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NCFJ
Supporting Vendor
Beautiful Saturday and I actually got some work done on our own truck. Color sanded to 1200 and 2000 and first cut. Final cut and buff to go.
Channeling my inner Dave Rushing
Channeling my inner Dave Rushing
Stan are you going to have the airbox feed from the cowl induction?
Not for a while, car issues have caused me to start driving the w210 again as a daily and its made me remember how much I actually like driving that car.
So it will stay my DD for a while, I really want to get a w211 05 or 06 cdi diesel from my DD but they are hard to find.
But they do actually get around 37 mpg highway, best I can do in the w210 has been 31. Lower diff gears are one of the reasons. The low rpm power in the om606 is pretty terrible from the factory so they actually came with the most aggressive 1st gear and diff gears to compensate.
The w211 cdis also have 125 more torques from the factory.
I have an om606 na that I was supposed to pick up.yesterday for scrap price but the guy sold it out from under me as I was driving there in a rented truck. A-HOLE
I was going to try a roots SC on it for low rpm power and switch to my spare turbo rods and pistons.
@Comet plus I've committed to get the one ton swap and new cage done in the bronco before the cruiser gets any swap love.
Also new turbo for the 4bt. Don't care much about more power I just want the "whistles go whoo sound" and with the one tons I won't be afraid of breaking stuff.
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NCFJ
Supporting Vendor
No Al. Original intent of it was to remove part of the beat to hell hood sheet metal. up side is the amount of heat that thing lets out. You can see the heat waves under the right circumstances. Great defroster in the winter.
Not really wrenching but damn it was a work out. Decided to move a bunch of boxes out of storage and close it down. Got rid of things I don't need anymore.
Got a rack (don't like the metal wire grid shelves on the new racks depot and lowes sells but I needed done now)
My engine hoist is at my moms currently so I had to get the 10.5 sterling rear and HP D60 front axle on the first and second shelf by myself. Damn I do not remember them being that heavy. I need to look up the weight of each now as I take a small break lol.
My brother in law has two weeks to decide if he wants the jetta to mess around with and them I'm pulling the motor, storing it for a future diesel project and selling the trans. Junk yard will get the rest.
Need to spend a day to asses any long term damage on the focus when the idler fell apart. Andrea was driving it, it went with zero noise and she didn't realize till the car was crazy overheating. But that will be gone in the next month.
Then I'll be back down to three cars at my house. And a subaru at my moms that needs a head gasket that she has taken an interest in.
Got a rack (don't like the metal wire grid shelves on the new racks depot and lowes sells but I needed done now)
My engine hoist is at my moms currently so I had to get the 10.5 sterling rear and HP D60 front axle on the first and second shelf by myself. Damn I do not remember them being that heavy. I need to look up the weight of each now as I take a small break lol.
My brother in law has two weeks to decide if he wants the jetta to mess around with and them I'm pulling the motor, storing it for a future diesel project and selling the trans. Junk yard will get the rest.
Need to spend a day to asses any long term damage on the focus when the idler fell apart. Andrea was driving it, it went with zero noise and she didn't realize till the car was crazy overheating. But that will be gone in the next month.
Then I'll be back down to three cars at my house. And a subaru at my moms that needs a head gasket that she has taken an interest in.
So a fully dressed 10.5 sterling is 400 lbs
This one was full dressed.
Front HP super 60 is 500 lbs fully dressed. This had the rotors and calipers removed along with the axle shafts so ill guess 300-350.
No gym for me today lol.
This one was full dressed.
Front HP super 60 is 500 lbs fully dressed. This had the rotors and calipers removed along with the axle shafts so ill guess 300-350.
No gym for me today lol.
NCFJ
Supporting Vendor
Polished out the left side today. A few spots need a bit more attention, about 90%
Malleus
Far west of Siegen
Stan, did this have clearcoat on it? What did you use to buff? The compound, I mean.Beautiful Saturday and I actually got some work done on our own truck. Color sanded to 1200 and 2000 and first cut. Final cut and buff to go.
Channeling my inner Dave Rushing
NCFJ
Supporting Vendor
Yes, base coat clear coat job. I use 3M compound and then 3M machine polishing compound. Not cheap stuff but works very well.
Malleus
Far west of Siegen
NCFJ
Supporting Vendor
3M 36060 compound
Malleus
Far west of Siegen
So, the results are in on the intake set cleaning exercise. It's Charlie's and I'm in to it while I'm R&R 'ing the headgasket, among other things. I wasn't in any serious hurry, so I wanted to see how clean I could get things, how much effort would be required, and how long it would take, in the event I have to do this right, and right now.
For reference, this was the damage when I pulled the intakes apart:
and this is what the head (intake side) looked like:
It all looked like a 10 year old barbeque grill hood, that had soaked in waste oil as a preservative.
Here's the good side of the upper plenum:
For reference, this was the damage when I pulled the intakes apart:
and this is what the head (intake side) looked like:
It all looked like a 10 year old barbeque grill hood, that had soaked in waste oil as a preservative.
Here's the good side of the upper plenum:
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Malleus
Far west of Siegen
I tried, in order, Easy Off, Dawn, Fabuloso (Bonnie bought a gallon after she came back from Mexico; I guess she got used to breathing the stuff down there - it was taking up space in the laundry room, so I figured, why not?), Zep Purple Industrial Degreaser, (the concentration I used was 2 cups/4 gallons and 15 minutes soak, followed by a 5 minute rinse in clean water - lather, rinse, repeat until no further progress appear to be happening)
and finally, I ran it through the bead blast cabinet. Here's the media I used:
The bead blast media cleaned the exterior immediately, but the interior was work. In some areas, particularly the EGR galley, both ends, which was full of oil-soaked, baked on carbon, I was afraid I was going to start cutting the aluminum. That's when I gave up. Additionally, the nozzle I have only reached about 2-2.5" into any given chamber, and only the lower mating face of the upper chamber. I made very little progress in the inner chamber of the upper half.
Here are the results. First, the lower half:
and the upper half:
I was unhappy with the results, so, since I'm a professional searcher (I really am), I searched for something better. I found what I had hoped would be the answer:
Carbon-Off
and finally, I ran it through the bead blast cabinet. Here's the media I used:
The bead blast media cleaned the exterior immediately, but the interior was work. In some areas, particularly the EGR galley, both ends, which was full of oil-soaked, baked on carbon, I was afraid I was going to start cutting the aluminum. That's when I gave up. Additionally, the nozzle I have only reached about 2-2.5" into any given chamber, and only the lower mating face of the upper chamber. I made very little progress in the inner chamber of the upper half.
Here are the results. First, the lower half:
and the upper half:
I was unhappy with the results, so, since I'm a professional searcher (I really am), I searched for something better. I found what I had hoped would be the answer:
Carbon-Off
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Malleus
Far west of Siegen
...and here are the results:
Lower plenum half
Upper plenum half
The best results were in the PCV valve tube and EGR galley. They were both completely plugged with solid carbon. Now they are both clean.
On the whole, I'm satisfied with the product, but not my process. If I could have applied it uniformly and used a stiff, short brass bristle brush, it would have polished better than new. As it is now, it is significantly cleaner than it was.
My thoughts:
1. Read and follow the warnings on the label. This stuff will take the hair off a dog (if you are so inclined, and if the dog isn't paying attention).
2. Really use rubber gloves, the Playtex kitchen kind, not the "I don't want greasy hands" nitrile kind.
3. Make sure there's positive ventilation; I didn't have any problems, but I was working next to an open door (garage) and window (laundry room).
4. This stuff absolutely eats any carbon it touches. That said, it won't remove what it doesn't touch. It's nearly impossible to coat the entire interior surface of the bends. Maybe if I had thought ahead and sealed one side and poured about an ounce into each chamber and then rolled it around, but that won't work for the upper half, since it has the open middle chamber. As it was, I used less than a quarter of a pint (I was using a half pint pickling jar, so whatever half that amounts to) for two complete cleaning sessions, both upper and lower half.
5. The label says apply and let sit for at least an hour, preferably 5, and overnight if you can.
-I'd give it an hour or less, and then brush it off.
-I brushed under running water to remove the gel after soaking; I'd recommend that approach.
-it starts dissolving the carbon immediately and the more carbon you expose to the gel, the more it removes.
-the concentration, that is to say, the admixture of carbon to the gel, doesn't seem to affect the dissolution properties at all.
6. I used all the brushes I had, from acid brushes and an art brush to apply it, to plastic and brass "toothbush" type brushes, along with plastic bristle bottle brushes to remove the residue.
-the gel didn't have any effect on the brushes or bristles, but it did dissolve the glue holding the art brush bristles to the handle (it also removed all the paint it touched on my parts washing tank lid- immediately and completely).
-you don't need to scrub the carbon to remove it, the gel does that on its own, but you do need to scrub it (about like you're brushing your teeth) to remove the gel and carbon after the solvent dissipates. This is why I don't think leaving it for more than an hour is useful.
-the carbon the gel doesn't dissolve won't stick to the aluminum anymore, so you need to brush it off. I had chips of carbon flaking off for the entire hour I was cleaning, even after the top coat of carbon dissolved.
-the brush bristles should be as short as possible, so the gel winds up on the surface to be cleaned, and not filling the brush.
7. I could not get to the inside of the inside bends. If I had the use of a Ø2-2.5" bottle brush, maybe. A Ø2-2.5", 12" long bottle brush, with a 4" handle and 1/8"-1/4" bristles, to both apply and remove the gel, and that would bend 90° anywhere along the length, would be ideal. The brush needs to be able to rotate to clean the entire tube surface, but rotating by hand is entirely sufficient. The chemical does all the heavy lifting.
8. The label says to make sure the surface is completely cold before applying the gel. I think this is because it's labeled for cleaning pots, pans, griddles and the like, and it's highly flammable. I don't think the temperature - room or less, matters at all.
The gel appears to be safe on steel, aluminum and PVC (my laundry sink) - I'm hoping the same for the drainpipes. It did not clean the concrete I dropped it on. It just sat there until I wiped it up. I wouldn't say it's water soluble, since it contains a petroleum distillate, but the gel dissolves readily in water and didn't leave any residue on the laundry sink.
This is my new favorite chemical. Hands down.
Lower plenum half
Upper plenum half
The best results were in the PCV valve tube and EGR galley. They were both completely plugged with solid carbon. Now they are both clean.
On the whole, I'm satisfied with the product, but not my process. If I could have applied it uniformly and used a stiff, short brass bristle brush, it would have polished better than new. As it is now, it is significantly cleaner than it was.
My thoughts:
1. Read and follow the warnings on the label. This stuff will take the hair off a dog (if you are so inclined, and if the dog isn't paying attention).
2. Really use rubber gloves, the Playtex kitchen kind, not the "I don't want greasy hands" nitrile kind.
3. Make sure there's positive ventilation; I didn't have any problems, but I was working next to an open door (garage) and window (laundry room).
4. This stuff absolutely eats any carbon it touches. That said, it won't remove what it doesn't touch. It's nearly impossible to coat the entire interior surface of the bends. Maybe if I had thought ahead and sealed one side and poured about an ounce into each chamber and then rolled it around, but that won't work for the upper half, since it has the open middle chamber. As it was, I used less than a quarter of a pint (I was using a half pint pickling jar, so whatever half that amounts to) for two complete cleaning sessions, both upper and lower half.
5. The label says apply and let sit for at least an hour, preferably 5, and overnight if you can.
-I'd give it an hour or less, and then brush it off.
-I brushed under running water to remove the gel after soaking; I'd recommend that approach.
-it starts dissolving the carbon immediately and the more carbon you expose to the gel, the more it removes.
-the concentration, that is to say, the admixture of carbon to the gel, doesn't seem to affect the dissolution properties at all.
6. I used all the brushes I had, from acid brushes and an art brush to apply it, to plastic and brass "toothbush" type brushes, along with plastic bristle bottle brushes to remove the residue.
-the gel didn't have any effect on the brushes or bristles, but it did dissolve the glue holding the art brush bristles to the handle (it also removed all the paint it touched on my parts washing tank lid- immediately and completely).
-you don't need to scrub the carbon to remove it, the gel does that on its own, but you do need to scrub it (about like you're brushing your teeth) to remove the gel and carbon after the solvent dissipates. This is why I don't think leaving it for more than an hour is useful.
-the carbon the gel doesn't dissolve won't stick to the aluminum anymore, so you need to brush it off. I had chips of carbon flaking off for the entire hour I was cleaning, even after the top coat of carbon dissolved.
-the brush bristles should be as short as possible, so the gel winds up on the surface to be cleaned, and not filling the brush.
7. I could not get to the inside of the inside bends. If I had the use of a Ø2-2.5" bottle brush, maybe. A Ø2-2.5", 12" long bottle brush, with a 4" handle and 1/8"-1/4" bristles, to both apply and remove the gel, and that would bend 90° anywhere along the length, would be ideal. The brush needs to be able to rotate to clean the entire tube surface, but rotating by hand is entirely sufficient. The chemical does all the heavy lifting.
8. The label says to make sure the surface is completely cold before applying the gel. I think this is because it's labeled for cleaning pots, pans, griddles and the like, and it's highly flammable. I don't think the temperature - room or less, matters at all.
The gel appears to be safe on steel, aluminum and PVC (my laundry sink) - I'm hoping the same for the drainpipes. It did not clean the concrete I dropped it on. It just sat there until I wiped it up. I wouldn't say it's water soluble, since it contains a petroleum distillate, but the gel dissolves readily in water and didn't leave any residue on the laundry sink.
This is my new favorite chemical. Hands down.
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fj40alex
SILVER Star
Copied others on Mud and added an “attic” by using the 3rd row grab bar bolts, some aluminum angle, the Container Store shelf, and (too long) U brackets. Pretty quick project for lightweight storage.
Hmmm may try this, gointbto take the intake off the diesel benz for a cleaning
Malleus
Far west of Siegen
It will definitely do the job. But...you can burn diesel crud off. Heat it hot enough to burn and then feed it with compressed air until it's clean. That won't work with gas engines, though; not enough flammable in the carbon deposit. The Carbon Off is much cleaner to use, though. Not as exciting, but cleaner.
