QUOTE(r_towle @ May 25 2012, 07:54 AM)
Purple power and your local self service car wash (at night)
Wear ratty clothes because with all the little nooks and crannies, and a pressure washer, it WILL get all over you.
Wear glasses also...
I also just use Kerosene....for a week, in a plastic tub for the case.
Then multiple brushes.
Oil cooler, and other parts...get one of the small ultrasonic cleaners for jewelry, they are cheap and work wonders.
I did put a case in purple power, in a huge plastic bin for a while...its really amazing stuff, but you need to keep track of time.
Autozone has a commercial cleaner for aluminum also, just ask for the commercial stuff in the back...but its another one to keep track of time so it wont eat up the bearing seats.
If you are like me, strip the case, pull the dowels for the bearings (dont lose those...Jake has them if you do) and bring the case to a local machine shop and have them tank it....it will remove alot, but not all of the crud.
Dont get to anal about it, you will only see the top of the motor when you are done.
Do get the seal surfaces right.
Also, I would plan to send it to a machine shop anyways...have them pull all the head bolts/studs and plane down the case to ensure the cylinders are all flush...these old cases do settle in the middle between the cylinders.
If you do that, just bring them the old dirty case, tell them what work you want done, and make sure they tank clean it...
Get it back in a week or so, all cleaned and ready to go.
rich
Autozone also has the 2 gallon purple power. That stuff is amazing too.