28 replies to this topic

[minilee94]

yeah i understand that but so many people saying get it acid dipped then other people i talk to to and say about acid dippiing they say nar dont do that etc no 1 mentioned about hot washes just acid dippiing

[MRA]

We opt for bead blasting but only prior to machining ops and after all critical surfaces have been masked off.. now the same approach could be made to acid dipping, however most companies that acid dip will simply want to just dunk it in and pull it out,

We use different media for different jobs and some can be severe and others will not damage the surface at all its really about what yo uwant to spend and how good you want it to look ??

[minilee94]

erm i dont really fancy spending loads on money on it i just want it cleaned

[MRA]

Sorry for saying it, really just trying to help but reiterating how clean a engine needs to be before being re-built, no point doing a half assed job, especially if you're spending cash on it...

You shouldn't be sorry for saying it ? clean and re-clean .... and when it's clean enough clean it again to be sure... it's a lot of money to throw away for a bit of cleaning material and time...

[TopCatCustom]

I think the only benefit acid dipping could have on a block is taking the rust out of the water jacket so as to improve heat transfer from the bores to the coolant, but most people just put the tank in a hot caustic tank which is the opposite to acid dipping if I remember correctly!

[MRA]

Caustic is an alkaline so yes and a lot better for the steel or cast iron, but I think Custic is very bad for Alluminium alloys.

[minilee94]

oh right okay and i had sent u another chat on fb but no reply bout the stripping

[Guess-Works.com]

I have a dip tank, but it's not acid, it's a decarbonising solution.... This is very different to acid dipping as does not affect the metal, just what is stuck to it, whether it be oil, carbon or paint.

[blue blood]

So to semis acid dipping is a quick way off getting stuff off and reaching bare metal, but it would mean machining surfaces again(which would not be cost effective). When it comes to body shells i'd say the problem might be after sending a classic mini to be processed you might not get anything back ha
Regards Blue

[Dan]

Cheap engine shops prefer to acid dip as it's faster and cheaper. You don't have to leave it in there as long and you don't have to heat the tank. You don't have to replace the solution as frequently either.

[minilee94]

i spoke to the place were im gettin the pocketting done and they said they can clean it give it a blast throu for 30quid

[mini_mad69]

The OP should have mentioned, the reason for people saying get it dipped is because he bought an engine from a friend who spray painted the engine, with parts missing, so the bores, oil ways, water ways etc all got yellow paint inside.

[maddogmcg]

Definately do NOT acid dip engine , the amount of soaking needed to remove the thick rusty sludge in the gallerys of the engine ,would be longer than it would take to start etching away the accurately machined surfaces in the engine .

There are industrial cleaners that will wash your engine in a hot detergent , they use much the same chemicals as a home dishwasher and do a great job .

I would paint stripper the outside , strip block ,remove gallery plugs and core plugs ,etc . Then give it good prod about inside the gallerys with a long thin brush and parrafin .

Once as clean as you can get it then have it hot washed , please note that the block will begin to rust very quickly when removed from the hot wash , forming first on the aformentioned accurately machined areas , so get it back together and oily as soon as possible ,if painting the outside first prime with acid etch primer that is compatable with your final coat of paint ,the paint will adhere much better .

[MRA]

please note that the block will begin to rust very quickly when removed from the hot wash , forming first on the aformentioned accurately machined areas ,

Then they are using the wrong cleaning agent... I know of several companies that use normal dishwasher tablets, however these apparently contain salts in them, we use a mixture of 2 liquid cleaners specially developed for metals, without any rust forming.