So my copy of the Carburetor book is in and Sean and I are going to pull it and start to get it cleaned up so we can think about what we need to do to get it restored.

Is there a preference for parts cleaner? Should I be concerned with modern solvents removing too much material?

I prefer the "Safety Solvents" (petroleum based) but the new parts cleaning solutions are water based and better for the environment. If you use the new solvents make sure you get everything dry,If you have access to a sonic cleaning machine with the water based solvents they work really well. I also use plenty of pipe cleaners (the ones you clean your tobacco pipe with) in all of the drilled passages. Just my .02 cents YMMV

Unless you are using acid, solvents just clean the paint and gunk off they don't remove material.

throw it in here for a day or two


https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/gunk-carburetor-parts-cleaner-complete-kit-c c3k/7040709-p?c3ch=PLA&c3nid=7040709-P&adtype=pla_with_promotion&gclid=CjwKCAjw7 cDaBRBtEiwAsxprXTG9U9HxJOJ2MC9VDbvJGE2F1ZxZxrYb62DkXrzwpMcgo2bmtuP5ZBoCnLYQAvD_B wE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I do it with a 24 volt Battery Charger



Toon

Is your Holley G a brass body or cast iron?

My biggest problem with modern solvents is they don't remove squat!

I always try to keep my carburetors squat-free.

Tom ,does it makes a diff

I don’t know if they have it in your area, but, we used to have a parts cleaner in our automotive shop, supplied by a company called Safety-Kleen (www.safety-kleen.com), who used to come out as often as we wanted with a tank truck to change out the old dirty solvent for new clean solvent. It was a very handy and necessary service because, in a week, the solvent would become black and gunky. Jim Patrick

PS. They provide the parts cleaner as well, which is equipped with an automatic lid release that closes the lid in case of fire.

Yes it does make a difference on what to use to clean it. Toon shows electrolysis, which works great for rusty cast iron, but would not help tarnished brass. Acid was mentioned, for a brass body carb a mild acid(vinegar) can be used, for cast iron a stronger acid can be used. Media blasting was not mentioned, there are different mediums used for brass and cast iron. What is safe to clean a brass body might take to long / not give the desired results on a cast iron body. What is safe for cast iron may damage brass.

I tried using carburetor cleaner just like I did back in the seventies and brother, was I in for a disappointment! What came out after a two hour soak was a rather dull looking piece of die cast metal with dull looking brass fittings. An overnight soak made no difference.

It seems in order to meet environmental regulations, just about all of them are far weaker than they used to be. The old cleaners would make a grungy carb look spanking, shiny new after a dip. Not any more!

Okay, having griped about that, I discovered that Berryman's Chemtool fuel cleaner is evidently the same formula as the old carb cleaners. In other words, it's intended to go into the fuel tank and not clean parts..........but it does. It only comes in small cans but try one (auto parts store) and see what you think.

The only other chemical I know of that smells like the old cleaners and really works is called Turco Transpo. Cleans aluminum, iron, pot metal and brass like new. It's used in aircraft work and is priced at something like $800 per 55 gallon drum. Ouch.

For corrosions (rust, etc) use vinegar diluted 2, 3, 4, to one with water. Vinegar ONLY attacks corrosion, never the clean base metal.

The carburetor spray cleaners are basically Xylene, which you can buy by the gallon at the Home Improvement stores. If you find something that works really good for you, you can download the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), which lists the ingredients and you can make your own by the gallon. Manufacturers are required by law to provide MSDS's for all of their products. When I used to do a lot of antique restoration, nothing worked better than "Formby's Furniture Refinisher", which cost a fortune for just a quart. I got the MSDS sheet and determined the main active ingredient, which, if memory serves me, was Tolulene, and went down to Lowe's and bought it by the gallon for a fraction of the cost. Worked just as good and saved me a lot of money. Jim Patrick

Thanks for the pointers, I appreciate it.

George, I used to use Berryman's Chem Dip for carbs and other parts. It was very effective. No more - it just "sorta" works now. $800 for 55 gallons works out to about $14.50 per gallon, which is a good buy. Perhaps members of a big local club or chapter could chip in and share a barrel ?

Jim, that's a clever approach ! Proprietary formulas add in advertising and product liability at least, which certainly raises the price of a ready-made package.

Best thing I've found is to soak them in a gallon can of Berryman's B-12 for a day or 2. When you take it out rinse it off and most of the crud will come off with a wire brush. It should be easy to take apart after soaking in the cleaner that long. Then soak it 24 hours in citric acid. It's cheap and safe, can find it in Walmart by the Mason jars. Then you can rinse it, wipe it off with Scotch Brite or a wire brush and it should look like new.