Bentwrenches
Well-Known Member
Does anyone out there know of an engine machine shop in Northern California that still offers Hot tanking services?
Thanks...
Thanks...
Engine "Hot tank" question
- Thread starter Bentwrenches
- Start date
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In California... 
Sorry no help, used to live in So Cal.
Sorry no help, used to live in So Cal.
I'm afraid hot tanking has went the way of the dinosaur thanks to all the toxic sludge it produces from it eating the cam bearings and anything else not made of iron or steel out of the block. You may try your local diesel truck shops out to see if they have the ZEP hot water jet cabinet cleaner (AKA he giant dishwasher). If you take everything out of the block before taking it to be washed it works very well providing they keep the wash solution on the rich side with the surfactants and degreasers.
The BEST block cleaning I have ever seen was a machine that baked the grease and paint off. Then it went into a machine that slung steel shot at the block. When it was done it looked like a freshly cast block.
How do they protect the cyl bores
Make your own out of a 55 gallon barrel and an electric barrel heater. You can get caustic soda (lye) from any store like Tractor Supply. It's cheap. Mix it up with water and heat it up and go. You'll need to remove any aluminum from the block like cam bearings.
Cope
Fusing with fire
Places still hot tank in CA.
Not sure about around you but I know a place in the bay area.
Jet wash, bead blast, hot tank, final clean, chase threads and blow out oil passageways.
Looks like a new block.
Not sure about around you but I know a place in the bay area.
Jet wash, bead blast, hot tank, final clean, chase threads and blow out oil passageways.
Looks like a new block.
Where? I'm in Santa Rosa. What's the name of the place?
Cope
Fusing with fire
Gromm Racing.
The owner is a good friend of mine. In fact me and pops shop is right next door to Gromm.
The owner is a very good engine builder.
If you gonna stop by let me know, I always enjoy meeting FABO folks!
The owner is a good friend of mine. In fact me and pops shop is right next door to Gromm.
The owner is a very good engine builder.
If you gonna stop by let me know, I always enjoy meeting FABO folks!
It is not a consideration, you are cleaning the block in preparation for machine work, after you bore and hone, it will be like it ( shot blast ) never happened.
Where do you dump it Triple R?
It takes something bigger than a 55 gallon drum too, but you can reclaim the stuff off the top and slowly dispose to sanitary sewer (it will degrease the municipal sewer nicely, about a quart every three days, the solution for pollution is dilution) and mix the sludge with bentonite clay and bag it up in your trash for the landfill. You didn’t hear it from me, though, lolol!
It is not lye it is sodium carbonate which is basically baking soda. I dumped it on my drive way now it's fireproof. lol
Hook a battery charger to the piece with a collector rod for the rust. Works great.
Apple cider vinegar works great to. It will not degrease the block but it will remove rust.
The Power of Apple Cider Vinegar for Rust Removal
The Power of Apple Cider Vinegar for Rust Removal
A 55 gallon drum will hold a small block and a slant, not at the same time, of course. I don't know about a big block. Never tried one. As far as disposing of anything, I haven't made one out here yet. I had one when we lived in the Macon city limits. When I changed it out, I neutralized it with vinegar. Anything acidic will work. Hydrochloric acid is usually used for its strength but vinegar is much more readily available.
My plan was when we moved out here in '02, to get some 1/4" plate and make a nice hot tank......among other things. But life happened and I never did it. I may yet, though, as a hot tank can come in handy for lots of cleaning. As seldom as it would be used the solution would probably stay strong a long time.
What I am talking about is straight LYE, sodium hydroxide. It is also known as caustic soda.
50 percent sodium hydroxide (maximum saturation point without it precipitating out) caustic soda is usually the standard. It reduces complex grease directly into low grade soap. It’s the most effective degreaser for mineral petroleum oils and greases. Boosting the solution with some sodium meta silicate and potassium hydroxide usually helps it work on the more stubborn stuff like varnishes and sludges.
Heating has worked the best for me in the past. In fact, when I worked at the little mom and pop machine shop when I was in school and a little beyond, it even came in boxes marked "heat activated caustic". We kept ours just below the boiling point. lol
Just goes to show there's more than one way to skin a cat.
Yes. Before I go the ley route though, what I had thought about is trying a solution of Dawn in the 55 gallon drum of HOT water. I have my suspicions that it might work pretty good. Of course, I don't think it would remove paint and surface rust like lye does, but it would certainly remove grease and be much more friendly to the environment.
What they use in all the scary movies to get rid of the bodies in the bath tub........does not work on teeth
Cool, it'll be a while. I gotta work up the energy to put a new starter in the Jeep. And I hate driving the Jeep, so it sits...
I'm not gonna drive to San Jose with 4.10 gears. lol
Daily driver...
Let me know when you find something that does.
Grind them up and turn them into powder, scatter
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