how clean must the engine block be?

[nynor]

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.

[ae1969]

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.

[nynor]

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

[SlowToady]

great! alcohol and call it a day.

So much for cleaning the block:-P

[nynor]

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

[bryanthompson]

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

[nynor]

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.

[SlowToady]

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.

[nynor]

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