Good evening. I just became the owner of 2 old sbc blocks, (freebies). one has crank, rods and pistons still. They've been outside for a few years and look like good candidates for boat anchors. I'm curious if it would be worth a try, to clean them up and possibly use them. What would be the best somewhat low buck way to try to clean them up? Thanks.

Many shops (out west anyways) have a "bake and blast" procedure that they put the block in an oven for a while (usually to burn off the grease and oil) then put it in shot peening machine that gets the block down to bare metal/new looking... it used to be a hundred dollar job but that was several years ago since I had one done...
Other than that is acid dipping which California has pretty much banned from existence out here

A DIY electrolysis tank works wonders on cast iron.

A few days in a tub of water with a 12-volt battery charger and a piece of sacrificial metal....

https://realtree.com/timber-2-...nWIMXi7-o8C8taj7aXDU

quote:

Originally posted by fivecentcharlie:
A DIY electrolysis tank works wonders on cast iron.

A few days in a tub of water with a 12-volt battery charger and a piece of sacrificial metal....

https://realtree.com/timber-2-...nWIMXi7-o8C8taj7aXDU

I've done this and it works OK to get most of the rust off it will not degrease it though. But would still need to be cleaned at a machine shop before using it.
I have also used vinegar and molasses to clean sheet metal when restoring body panels on my old ford.
Dave.

I was gifted (free) a 454 block and a set of 781 heads many years ago. They looked like they had been stored under water - really rusty. After letting them take up space under my work bench for several more years, I decided to either use them or get rid of them, and took them to a machine shop. To my surprise, the block cleaned up nicely at .060 over, and the heads likewise were refreshed with larger 2.19/1.88 valves and new springs, retainers, locks, etc.

Stroked to 496 with a new rotating assembly, I had a low-buck street/strip engine that made hundreds of 11.50 passes in a 4,000lb Chevelle. After 8 years of that, I sold the car to a buddy and he is still driving it. He disassembled the motor with intentions to refresh it, and it all looked so good he just put it back together with the original rings, bearings, etc.

The crusty looking stuff can still have a surprising amount of life left in it.

Thanks y'all. I'm feeling more optimistic about these now. Hoping to get started de-rusting one of them soon. Hope to remember to document how it goes and update with results.