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MG TD TF 1500 - cleaning 'old' parts

I sure could use some help here, , I've got a pair of 51 MGTD carborators and all attachments that are just terible, they are black, corrided and just simpley not acceptable. can you all suggest what I might try to clean them up? I've no experience with pot metal and don"t know what else to try. Actually, I don"t have experience in restoration. my MGTD was in
good condition when purchased in 1997. a small fire in the engine compartment occured in 1998. car set while owner (thats me) cried, moaned, and parked it.
job required my attenton until retirement. retired, relocated, build garage for TD and
spent much time polishing car, chrome,fixing minor things. every thing but confronting the issue of under the bonnet. after some medical problems and time
I've decided to ask for help and charge ahead. i've got many problems ahead. but i chosen to start by cleaning the carbs. your help and guidence will be appreciated

thanks, garry irwin



gei irwin

I believe your SU's are aluminum.... I use autosol to polish.... and you can finish with Brasso.
Depends on how damaged they were with fire.
You might start with 0000 steel wool...then do the polishing.
gordon lawson

Try soaking the parts in vinegar for a few days, checking on the progress from time to time. It works very well on ferrous metals, not sure about aluminium alloys.
John James

Since you seem to be leery of digging into the engine, I'd suggest a spray can of carb cleaner. A suede brush with brass bristles, a flux brush,(maybe a toothbrush, but it might melt) will get into at least some of the areas that are harder to reach. A few rags to catch the runoff would be good, don't get this stuff on your paint.

Some engine degreaser and a brush (stir up the melted grease, hose it off, repeat)will improve the rest of the engine. A plastic bag over the distributor wouldn't hurt. And a plastic drop cloth under the car will save your floor or driveway from the mess.

There are some citrus cleaners that claim to be pretty environmentally friendly, work fine, and smell good. Might be worth a try.

Just reread your post, if the carbs are off the car, why not rebuild them? When they're all apart, you can soak the parts to get 'em clean inside and out. A trip to the auto parts store will give you a good idea of what's available.

Hope this helps, if not, ask away!
Tom

If you have an air compressor you could soda blast them. Comes in powder form. It causes no damage and will look better than new. Use your search engine for soda blast.
Bob

Garry,

I found carb bodies cleaned up nicely using a Dremel motor tool with a brass brush wheel. You need to keep the RPMs down, or the brush will wear out quickly. Only the dashpots should be polished.

For carb cleaner, you can usually find a 1 gallon soaking can at most autoparts stores.

For general degreasing, I have found Castrol Super Clean is terrific! It is the best degreaser I have ever used. You have to be careful using it on some painted sufaces.

What part of Ohio are you in?

Good luck, Evan
Evan Ford - TD 27621

If you had an engine fire it may have been due to leaking carbs. If you have no experience rebuilding them, you may want to send them out to Apple Hydraulics. They can offer the rebuild service as well asbush the carb bodie and replace the throttle shaft. I believe they bead blast the carb bodies. The alternitive to bead blasting is blasting with walnut shells.

The most important issue here is to rebuild the carbs, and don't forget the proper overflow tubes, so you don't have another fire.
Ron Boisvert

Ron and Evan are "spot on" ,,,, I used the same method when I did my carbs many years ago,,, for the dashpots and intake manifold, I started with 800 grit cloth, and continued through very fine steel wool, then polishing compound,, now a cleaning with Brasso keeps them (and all of the copper lines and brass fittings) shining..

SPW
Steve Wincze

Garry,
The following method will work if you are taking the carburetors off the car and going to rebuild them.
I do not suggest bead or soda blasting any precision parts of the carburetors, the bores and chambers are precision machined and you could ruin the parts.

I just finished rebuilding my '52 TD SU carbs.
I have cleaned and rebuilt many SU carbs before, and ultrasonic cleaning, I found to be the best method for cleaning the aluminum, brass, and steel components in the carbs. This method is gentle and does not damage any parts. The ultrasonic energy does a fantastic job of cleaning, especailly in the little crevices and on the delicate parts.
I'll never use carb cleaner or other solvents again!

I have access to a small ultrasonic cleaner (very similiar to the jewelry type.)

1. Partially dissassemble carbs carefully and identify parts in separate bins or bags.
2. Clean parts in ultrasonic cleaner using a combination of Hot Water and Simple Green ( I used the industrial strength Simple Green) mixing them to a 1:1 ratio.
3. I cleaned the parts in the ultrasonic for about 1/2 an hour per cleaning cycle.
4. Change the water/simple green solution every new batch.
5. Rinse parts with warm water and dry with compressed air or clean towel.
6. Make sure you spray the steel parts with WD-40 or a light oil or they will rust. (especially the dash-pot bore in the Suction Chamber. This method really degreases, so steel parts will be prone to rusting.

For stubbon carbon and grease build up, I used an old toothbrush and scrubbed gently.

I was amazed at how easy this method was and how clean the parts came out. This process is environmently safe, i.e. no dangerous solvents to dispose or handle.
It required minimal "elbow grease," to clean these parts. They almost looked factory new except for the dull aluminum finish. (Aluminum Oxide)
The brass parts will also come out very clean but dull and can be polished with a brass polish.
I left the aluminum natural, i.e. I don't bother to polish it since it will always oxide in the atmosphere.

I hope this helps.
If you need assitance in rebuilding, check out the archives and purchase an SU carb book or a workshop manual, these are essential equipment.
L. Capriccio

Go to your local auto parts store and buy a gallon can of "Gunk" Carb and Parts Cleaner.....it come with a handy metal basket to contain your parts. I have used this stuff for years and never had a problem with any kind of metal. A good soak overnight will remove most anything. A little brushing may be needed on some areas.
SU's were never polished, so why bother....just a waste of time and money.
Colin Stafford

Even cheaper than Gunk is paint brush restorer. I've been using it for degreasing all types of filthy parts for years and it doesn't smell.

Jan t
J Targosz

thanks to all who replied to this thread;;
gordon, you are correct, that was my error.they have corrosion in a couple spots.
but definately they are aluminum. THE OOOO STEELWOOL WORKS, THANKS
John James, I started the vinegar soak this afternoon, will let you know how it works on alyminum.
Tom, tried that with very little success, fire caused rubber to melt, local firedept
dumped a couple of fire extinguishers on for good measure (ater the fire was out, i might add). those boys love to fight fires. the combination left carbs with
what appears to be black and gray dull paint or plastic, very hard to remove, (the almost 5 years i let it set have help its current condition).
Even Ford, after a bath in costic paint remover, i found that the dremel/brass works well. lived in springfield, oh until 2003. retired and moved to berea, kentucky. don't know to change the address shown on this board. (o'yes can't seem to find Castrol super clrsner locally.
Ron, i'd be ashamed to send these to anybody in present condition, once cleaned i plan to follow your advice.
Steve, with all this help from the BBS board, that is the mothod i'm following.
L. Capriccio, the ultrasonic sounds like a great idea, but i fear out of the question cost wise, and not available in my part of kentucky. your points 2 thru 6 i will certainly follow, thanks. how thoughtful of you to take the time to be so detailed.
Colin, "gunk", i use all the time great product, for gas and oil , , didn't do much on this specific problem.
T. Targosz, great idea i'd like to try it "where" can i buy "paint brush restorer" local paint store,, , will dh,,, never heard of it. guess i try to locate it when i go to the big city of lexington.

again thanks to all of you for your suggestions. i'm off to a good start, thanks to you all. garry irwin



gei irwin

Well, it sounds like you're on the right path. I'd think a wire brush would wear through that ugly stuff, maybe a little acetone? But don't start another fire, that stuff will explode!! WD40 even dissolves some gluey muck. Good luck, it sounds like a stinky mess. I'll have to look for paint brush restorer myself. Thanks.
Tom

Garry,

Try the Walmart automotive section for the Castrol Super Clean. It comes in a purple spray bottle.

It sounds like you are making progress!

Good luck, Evan
Evan Ford - TD 27621

If you take steel wool to your aluminum parts, you must rinse and completely remove all traces of steel wool as a final step. Aluminum and steel don't play nicely together, and will cause the aluminum to corrode.

dave
D. A. Braun

Gei,

Paint brush cleaner is readilly available in the UK. In fact there are two types - cleaner is for use with wet brushes - simply work the stuff into the bristles and wash off with water - and the other is for brushes that have gone hard - you have to leave them to soak.


Jan T
J Targosz

This thread was discussed between 16/06/2005 and 20/06/2005

MG TD TF 1500 index

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