Chassis and Suspension degreasing – best method

[jedwards]

As part of my tidy-up, I am cleaning the engine bay area of my early 250SL in preparation for repainting which is not so hard because I can use a high pressure cleaner attachment on my compressor, scrubbing brushes,  followed by sanding and dewaxing before painting.   All fairly do-able at home with patience and perseverance.

However cleaning the suspension of its 40 years of built up dirt, grime and compacted grease poses a much harder problem and I a am hoping someone can give me some practical advice on the best approach to the problem.

I cannot afford to stripped the car to bare shell to have them sandblasted, and I don’t own a hoist so access is limited to what I can reach from inside the engine bay and from under the car. I have basic tools , but no stream cleaner.  The engine is currently stripped of all removable parts, so I cannot  drive the car to a specialists, even if I knew what sort of specialist did that type of work.

Naturally I have tried auto-shop de-greasers using a pressure system, but these don’t make much of an impression on 40 years of accumulated grime.

Has anyone successfully done this at home by hand?

Thanks

Jeff

[Jonny B]

I will be most curious to see what others have used as their "magic elixir". I have been helping a friend clean up and put back together the engine bay on his car (family owned since 1977). I also did the same on my 280 SL (from 40 year ownership). Indeed, there is a LOT of gunk that builds up.

On the 280 SL, it cleaned up remarkably well, the gunk acting as a preservative (I was able to find quite a number of the original paint marks). I tried de-greaser and that helped only a little. The most success I had was with WD-40. So outdoor use would be called for. I do have a lift, so could at least have reasonable access to the suspension pieces. I also took off the front tires to have access to the suspension parts from the side (and also to clean up the wheel wells) and that was a big help. I estimate I spent in the neighborhood of 30+ hours on the suspension pieces.

On my friends car, we used the same basic approach, and we also found that a product called "Goo-Gone" was pretty effective. Probably the same amount of time spent.

And of course, we did buy large containers of elbow grease and patience!

[Benz Dr.]

Paint scrapers and screw drivers work wonders on the really heavy stuff. Noting like a steam jenny though.

[Jonny B]

Benz Dr. - good point on the scrapers. We found that one of those small (perhaps - 1 1/2 inch) plastic scrapers is very helpful, and less prone to scratching.

[Bonnyboy]

Check with your local Harley Davidson shop as they should have a line of degreasers that should clean up the engine / suspension and be nice to everything else.  I would be afraid of getting residue on the paint of your car somewhere.  I can't remember the exact name but it ws part of the S100 family of elixers.  after a good hose down you can get out the old toothbrushes and WD40.  I use sharpened chop sticks and bamboo BBQ skewers to get into the corners - saves the paint a bit more then screwdrivers.

[franjo_66]

the best degreaser that I have ever come across is Marine Clean.

Link to the product http://www.por15.com/MARINE-CLEAN_p_14.html

I went under my 230SL and used it on the rear axle, front end, etc. Worked fantastic.

[KevinC]

I thought that shot looked familar!

[Jonny B]

Always ready to learn something so I tried the "Marine Clean" from POR. Oh boy, that stuff works! I had already gotten the thick layer of gunk off by scraping, swearing, sweating and swabbing, but the Marine Clean really does a good job. I have several other underbody and wheel well spots to work on.

Thanks for the recommendation!

[Theclaw]

Does the Por15 Marine clean have any adverse reactions to aluminum? Some of the water based degreasers, Purple Power and Simple Green are not friendly to aluminum and can discolor it.

Jeff

[jedwards]

On the accumulated advice of this group I ordered 4 litres of Marine Clean and found it really very good. I'm doing a full engine bay restore so used on used it on the internal panel work, work, suspension, block and everything else.
Even at 1:1 dilutions I saw no evidence of adverse reactions with paint or aluminum, and really good cleaning properties even at much higher levels of dilution. It is pretty irritation on bare skin at 1:1 concentrations, so some care is needed.

Its a pity is so expensive here in Australia. 4 litre or a Gallon cost me nearly US$70 plus postage.

It's a winner in my eyes so will always find a home in my garage.

[mdsalemi]

Jeff,

When faced with a situation like you have, always best to consult the MSDS sheet: http://www.por15info.com/msds/MarineCleanMSDS.pdf

You'll see that the two active ingredients are Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether, (EGBE) a common solvent, and Potassium Hydroxide, a very common corrosive. There are probably some surfactants, etc. in their too.  Armed with that knowledge you can pursue a locally sourced analog. The EGBE is sold as Oxitol by Shell, other chemical firms probably have different trade name for it.  I'm sure this is available in Oz, you might have to make some inquiries. I suspect the Potassium Hydroxide is considerably easier to find.

The degreasing and heavy duty cleaning needs of Aussies is not different than that in other developed countries, so surely there are industrial cleaning supply houses, and marine supplies too, that can probably set you up with something.  The good products are frequently costly no matter where you get them.

[jameshoward]

You'd be surprised how far an industrial All Purpose Cleaner can get you. Probably the cheaper the better. No problem shifting grease and dirt once it's allowed to soak in. I have access to a steam cleaner, which helps a great deal, but even with power cleaner I've had great results with standard solvents.

[450sl]

 Dry-ice blasting ..... results are amazing