After getting my heads rebuilt I am Finally getting around to putting my engine back together. Can anyone recommend a good (easy) way to clean the carbon deposits off the heads? Can this be done OK without removing the cylinders?

Put it back together ... fire it up and pour a cup of water slowly down the intake(s) at 2000 RPM .....

or

in your case

Fine wine!

is oven cleaner NOT safe ?

Except the wine suggestion.

Oven clean is not safe inside a motor....no no no

you can use it outside, but I would not do it.

A wire wheel also works.

w/ Schlitz. squirting it in with a bottle doesn't kill the engine as easily. Glad to see you back. I was beginning to think those "old charges" were brought up against you.

Three arrests, NO convictions.

Your $hitin' me right? Water down the intake? How about a small brass wire wheel? Will that work OK? I don't want to damage the top of the piston. Is that even possible?

Water does work, but a squirt bottle works better. Just keep from stalling it.

High pressure steam cleaning.
Google it, it has worked since before slits was born.

We use to de-carbonize using water while on a dyno (on running engines)

Pull the jugs off one at a time, stuff rags on the case opening and wheel them. You don't want to nick the tops of the cylinders.

No wire wheel marks on the top of the piston either.

Water works

or

Brake cleaner & rags

My concern with any type of wire wheel is all my wire wheels get smaller with time and use, and eventually there are no wire pieces left.....so they go somewhere, and you might get one lodged into the side of the piston, just laying on top of a ring, and you won't see it.
Then you know what it might do...

Use water or rags and cleaner.

http://www.orisonmarketing.com/pistonkleen.html

Hey Elliot....How many miles on that motor? I had about 8k on mine, and had some nasty carbon, but my plugs have always read a nice mixture. How much carbon and how fast the build up is natural?

Ok Av8tor .... The water hitting the hot cylinder flashes to steam instantly, creating a shock which cracks the carbon deposits. They chip off and go down the exhaust.

As I remember your pic, the deposits are shiny, like being wet. Looks like oil. Try the Brake cleaner first and see if the deposit dissolves somewhat easily.

Why bother? Or are you planning on tearing down the engine to clean the pistons before each Concours event?

Seriously, everything you clean will be back on there in short order. Don't waste your time.

OK! Now this is an answer I can live with.

As a builder I've never liked the water trick...

Wait a second...bent rods = more work

Nevermind....carry on....

McMark is right. If you're not taking it all the way apart, leave it alone. You're only going to get more crap in the motor and oil. That is not an excessive amount of carbon and will be back after about 10 minutes of running.

While you are in there,do clean what will easily come off. I had a motor sitting around. When I went to install it, it would not turn completely around. It was loose carbon that had fallen down causing the piston to bind at the head.

http://www.ppg.com/coatings/aerospace/coat...bon_Remover.pdf

http://www.ppg.com/coatings/aerospace/coat...nt_Stripper.pdf

http://www.ppg.com/coatings/aerospace/coat...bon_Remover.pdf