Recommendation on removing external carb corrosion

[The_Eric]

Hey guys- I have 2 carbs- one Edelbrock and one Carter that I'm going to piece together to make 1 for the Ford truck in my signature. The problem is they have lots of this tan colored corrosion or oxidation on/in them and the regular carb dip and cleaners wont remove it. It's mostly an aesthetics issue though, to be honest.

I'd prefer something that I can find in a grocery store like apple cider vinegar or Coke, or from a parts store instead of having to order some heavy duty and expensive chemical or having to bead blast it, which would remove all the factory coating and leave it susceptible to future oxidation.

The oxidation/corrosion can be removed mechanically, but it's really not feasible given all the nooks and crannies.

I have already tried white vinegar- which seemed to loosen it up but without physical removal, it will just stay in place. I know you can use apple cider vinegar to remove rust- if you're patient enough.

They look like this when new:

And here is what I have now:

Here is what it looks like after some light scraping:

Now I know that I'll never get a factory quality finish- and that's not the goal here either. Really, I'd be happy if I could get it to look like the cleaned spot...

 

[Nukeman7]

I've read that soaking carburetors in a hot solution of lemon juice will dissolve the corrosion. Probably best done outdoors on a propane gas grill side burner with a dollar store throwaway pot.

Carb Cleaning with Lemon Juice

 

[OneEyeJack]

Call or e-mail Edelbrock. Their tech assistance us usually good.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
I'd prefer something that I can find in a grocery store like apple cider vinegar or Coke, or from a parts store instead of having to order some heavy duty and expensive chemical or having to bead blast it, which would remove all the factory coating and leave it susceptible to future oxidation.

The oxidation/corrosion can be removed mechanically, but it's really not feasible given all the nooks and crannies.

You need somebody with an ultrasonic cleaner. These use plain water (sometimes with a detergent added) and time. The process is non-destructive and gets into the very tiniest nooks and crannies. This is the process that's used to clean jewelry and watches, so you know it's gentle on the piece. It's the vibrations that do the work, and they do work very well.

See this Google link:
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=industrial+ultrasonic+parts+cleaning
Call some of the companies listed and ask them for some contacts in your area to which they have sold their machines. You should be able to find someone who does trade/retail parts-cleaning.

 

[The_Eric]

Nukeman and OneEye- good ideas. Not sure why I never considered trying Edelbrock??? Duh!

Tegger- I have an ultrasonic cleaner, but it's too small to get the whole carb in one shot. I suppose I could try rotating it. I had my doubts as to whether it would remove the oxidation, but it's definitely worth a shot.

 

[zray]

I worked on this motorcycle in 2012 at a vintage repair ship in Austin, TX.

OK this is not external, but these carb photos are so juicy I have to pass them on. This is from a Yamaha XS-1100. The owner did not use ethanol. He believed that if he used only "pure" gasoline that he would be able to leave gas in the carbs and tanks indefinitely. Uhhhh, not true

Nice 'n nasty. enjoy.







Z

 

[1 FMF]

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/3487745/Searchpage/1/Main/223402/Words/1+FMF/Search/true/Re:_cleaning_painting_holley_c#Post3487745

consider having it media blasted by a shop that has a blasting cabinet. it will take anything off and leave virgin metal which is then very easy to paint. you've already lost any coating it came with so there's no reason not to go all the way and take it to virgin metal.
when i had it blasted, they did it on my lunch break in less than 15 minutes for $30. you do have to brings things easy for them to work on and disassembled so they can do it. the other thing which i don't remember, is there's all types of 'media' they blast with and they said do you want us to use this or that... i said your the expert i'm paying you you tell me, and they used whatever that doesn't erode metal but will take off and surface rust/corrosion.

 

[Silverado12]

You could try Aluminum Brite at NAPA for about 10 bucks a bottle. That's cleaned up some pretty nasty stuff for me. Just spray on, scrub w/toothbrush and rinse off.

 

[Fred_Garvin]

Soda blasting works great. The only issue is if you want the finish to look like new you will have to have it replated. Of course if you use a chemical process to remove the oxidation you will still need to replate.
One other option is to powder coat the body.