Remove Oxidation from Alum. Castings???

This is what I did to mine. The product in step 4 is what you are interested in. Believe me, it works!





When I bought my 308 it was obvious the previous owners didn't know how to clean or detail the engine bay, or just didn't care. Upon purchase there were dark stains from gasoline and oil as well as a layer of dirt on everything.

As customary with every car I buy I put it on jack stands two feet off of the floor. I pulled the plug wires and blocked off the Spark plug wells with black rubber corks purchased at the hardware store. Bagged the plug wires and caps in plastic. Tape off the tops of the carbs with duct tape. Here is how it went from here.

1.Spray down the engine bay, engine, transaxle and rear hubs with Simple Green and let it soak overnight.

2.Spray off the Simple Green with a pressure washer or high powered spray, (as required).

3. Blow dry with compressed air.

4. Spray down the 'Rough Cast' aluminum with NAPA brand Aluminum Brightener, part number 765-1458. For use on all machine finished, open pore cast aluminum.. WEAR EYE PROTECTION AND A RESPIRATOR! The active ingredients are Hydrofluoric Acid and Sulfuric Acid. Follow the instructions. It sizzles when applied! DO NOT spray on polished aluminum like the timing covers. I sprayed the carbs down and it didn't seen to matter.

5. Hand scrub with brass bristle brushes as required to remove stains and corrosion.

6. Rinse with hot water and blow dry. Be sure to flush behind the timing covers to remove any particle matter from the belts and sprockets.
NOTE; I removed the rear timing cover to inspect cleanliness after flushing and all was well.

7. Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 as required.

8. Buff the cam covers and any other accessible areas with a rotary wire wheel to bring up the shine. Use light pressure and control the direction to achieve consistency in the shine. You can use a drill motor and assortment of wire wheel buffers.

9. Wipe down and scrub everything with lacquer thinner, a clean wire brush and a rag.

10. Blow down with air.

11. Spray with high heat clear. Use Diamond Clear from Eastwood Restoration. It's good to 300 degrees. No Yellowing or cracking.

12. I also did the bottom of the engine, CV joints, rear spindle housings and the rear heat shield. There has been no deterioration in 2000 miles.

It's alot of work but clean up only requires a light misting and blow down before a drive or a show.
P.S. For the timing covers I used Mothers Mag Polish Cream.
WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING

It has been brought to my attention by numerous sources that application of Simple Green to aluminum alloys is harmful to the finish of the alloy. Examples given included alloy wheels.

I personally have not had the experiences exchanged in the following link. I believe the reason for this is because I was using the Simple Green on aluminum alloys that were DIRTY, OILY AND CORRODED to begin with. I was also using the Simple Green on 'open pore' castings (NON-POLISHED). This may be the difference.See the link below,

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5074

Thanks to the input and advice of other Fcar owners I am hoping that nobody out there has had any bad results cleaning their engines using the method I have described.

My last thoughts on this is, find a part or hidden place on your car to try this method on. If you like the results, great, if not then hopefully there was no real harm done.


DJ

One last note; It has been nearly two years since I used this process on my engine and no corrosion or any other deterioration has taken place.
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Try a product called "rub n buff " in leaf silver. Its a paste you put on with a cloth and it last for years. It only takes minutes to do the engine parts visible when the hatch is open. I did mine and it looks as good as the engine in the photo above without all the extra work. You can get it at any large crafts store.

 

Wow, Spasso, that entire engine looks fantastic.

Thanks for posting the step-by-step instructions. That's an inspiration, not just for my Ferrari, but for other older aluminum castings I have in the garage. Thanks!

 

Spasso, the engine looks absolutely beautiful. Very impressive. Just one warning about the use of any product with hydroflouric acid -- this is nasty stuff. You MUST wear personal protective equipment (chemical proof gloves and clothing) in addition to the respirator and eye protection. Hydroflouric acid is absorbed through the skin and can cause serious bone damage which is irreversible as well as other health problems. The engine looks great, but you must be careful to protect your health. Info on the dangers of hydroflouric acid:

http://www.corvallis-clinic.com/news_events/news/clinic_update_2_5.pdf

Keep up the good work, but please, work safe.

 

I want an engine that looks like that!
Do ya know if the products described are available in the UK or does anyone know of an alternative? Thankx

 

Thanks for the warnings on the acid. I have had some previous experience with it and forgot to mention the gloves. I used it as a last resort to 'bleach' the gas and oil stains out of the aluminum. Nothing else would touch it.

 

You can try your own auto parts store for a similar product. The stuff I used is designed to be used on rough cast aluminum wheels that ordinary aluminum polishes don't work on very well.

If you can't find anything like it you can order it here by the part number mentioned in the 'how-to' above; NAPA P/N 765-1458

http://www.napaautoparts.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/NAPAonline/homepage.d2w/report

This product is NOT pure acid but a diluted mix for use by the average owner. Read the warnings and wear protective gear!

You can order the high heat clear from Eastwood Restorations; http://www.eastwood.com/

 

Even in diluted form, hydroflouric is bad stuff. Not to be messed with. The sulfuric will burn your skin. The hydroflouric will do much worse. Don't take the use of this stuff lightly. Spasso's suggestion -- read the warnings and wear protective gear -- is worth taking heed of. Better safe than sorry.

 

Simple, and available everywhere: you can use aluminum cleaner/polish that you can get at your local grocery store. It's usually a powder, so sprinkle some into a bowl or cup, and add just enough water to turn it into a thick paste, and use a moist cloth to apply it. You can test it on the aluminum striker plates inside your doors before you use it on your engine, and you'll probably be pleasantly surprised with what a difference it makes as it takes off the surface oxidation.

More info at http://www.fca-se.org/conc_8.htm

 

I've had good results using POR-15 Marine Clean. The simple green gets most of the gunk off, but once it makes no more difference, the Marine Clean seems to get the parts that much cleaner:

http://www.por15.com/product.asp?productid=156

Now, I cannot say if this has the same issues that Simple Green might have, and could be damaging the aluminum. You really DO need gloves to use it, as it burns skin pretty quickly (as in, don't think its just a little part, I'll be OK!).

I wish we had a resident chemist around, who could clear up the issue.

Cheers,
Jon

 

Jeff if you go to any good motor factors you can get TFR to clean the castings with (industrial strength gunk our equivelent of simple green), then Autosol to clean up the castings, the spray on lacquer is available from frost.co.uk (as well as lots of other goodies)

 

It isn't Simple Green you have to worry about when it comes to safety. The stuff is nonflammable and bio-degradable. No harmful ingredients. I am told that it creates dull spots on polished aluminum and thats about it.

The Marine Clean sounds similar to the acid based aluminum cleaner I use.