I have all the tin off the motor and would love to give it a good cleaning before reassembly. I have used a number of things in the past but someone said just water with Tide would work to get all the grime off. Any suggestions for your 'go-to' cleaner?

It will depend on how much paint you want to keep or lose

Oven cleaner will get it squeaky clean but you may lose some paint, especially if you leave it on too long.

Carb cleaner will clean well but too much sprayed too hard will take off some paint and you may go thru a coupe of cans to cover the whole thing.

Detergent in water works well - they say Dawn works best - along with a lot of scrubbing with a plastic bristle brush and you won't have to worry about damage to paint.

A nice sunny day makes the job fun.

Anybody else?

The best solution is... dry ice blasting!

Dry Ice on YT

Menno

One word "AWESOME"

Awesome Cleaner $1 at the Dollar Store

yeah, something cheap and use alot of it. Simple green can be diluted, Marine Clean is awesome, but not cheap.

You have it totally apart and split, right?

if all you have done is remove the cooling tin, you might just use a bunch of rags and a tooth brush, you don't want stuff getting inside. water proof and seal the intakes, etc.... or just crack it open and blast it with a hose. But only if it is totally apart, like you are looking at the crank and 2 halfs of the small block.

My #1 go to cleaner, super cheap, in Canada it's at The Dollar Tree. $1.25 for the 28oz spray bottle or 40oz refill. I just picked up a case of refills.

My go to cleaner is undiluted Simple Green.

I also like brake cleaner - not necessarily harsh on paint but can affect it. However, it cuts grease and grime easily, and with the spray tube can get in nooks and crannies.