how clean must the engine block be?
 

i have been cleaning the top of my engine block, in anticipation of installing the head this weekend. how clean must that surface be?

per socal's advice, i've used a paint scraper, and it is pretty good. keep in mind that there are not chunks of old gasket material anywhere. mainly there is discoloration in areas, etc.

i am willing to clean this until it is all metal, just wondering at what point begins the law of less return.

I think you are there.......... You just want the surface to be flat and clean of any loose residue.

I spray a little brake clean on a rag and wipe the mating surfaces and that removes any last bits of oil and residue.

Otherwise start putting it back together.

P.S discoloration is fine.

great! i'll clean it with some alcohol and call it a day.

So much for cleaning the block:-P

oh, it'll be clean. actually, it is fairly clean already. however, when i am done, it'll be very nice.

you're taking pictures of all of this, right??

mostly. have you seen the pictures in my previous post? i just took my head, and a head i bought from todd, in tennessee, to the machine shop. three of my valves were bent. all my intake valves are good. they are doing a complete valve job/cleaning. i'll take pictures when i get it back.

Ah, heh, sorry. It was meant as a joke, like, the alcohol's for _you_:-P

Good luck with your head rebuild:-D I'm thinking about doing mine.

oh, plenty of alcohol has been consumed, i promise.