What is the best way to clean the engine?

[URY914]

I have just bought a slightly fire damaged 2.0 and I'm in the process of stripping it down. I've already sprayed it with two cans of Gunk and pressure washed it, but it is not getting as clean as I want. I want to get the sheet metal (engine tin, air deflectors, heater boxes and tubes, etc.) cleaned up so I can repaint them. I want to get the heads and engine case cleaned up to start the rebuild.

So the question is should I take the pieces to someone to have them chemically cleaned? Does Safety Kleen do this sort of thing or do they just sell and recycle the chemicals to repair shops? Should I get the heads and case sand or bead blasted to clean them up?

I don't want to go to the trouble of making some type of tank to soak this stuff in or buying a sand blaster to use once. I want to take them to someone dirty and get them back clean. I do just about everything myself, but cleaning stuff is no fun.

[roadtrp204]

Most machine shops will usually do it if they are not to busy.

[Zeke]

Greg at FAT Performance says never blast the case. Heads OK. I scrubed my case with powdered alumna-brite (a pots and pans cleanser). I sent my sheet metal to the powder coat shop. I sent my tranny case to the dishwasher type machine at the transmission shop. Disappointed in that one.

And after all that, I can see the sheet metal and about 8 inches of the top of the engine, And that's with carbs. With FI, you see so little, why bother? BTW, the case can go to the dishwasher too. Aluminum comes out better than mag alloy.