DIY hot tanking the engine block and pistons

Let me start off by saying that engines are NOT my thing. I researched this heavily before proceeding. This particular engine is a 5.0HO that will be powering my 1947 ford pickup. It sat for a few years, had some rust buildup in the coolant passages and needed to be 'cleaned out. After its cleaned up it will be rebuilt by my buddy.
Soak 1: mean green and dish soap
Soak 2: oil eater and dish soap
Soak 3: hot water and dish soap
Soak 4: hot water only
Scrub down
Pickle with WD40
Products
mean green: amzn.to/2SktgDA
Oil eater: amzn.to/2Wh6A8o
WD40: amzn.to/3f7BFUT
Heater element: amzn.to/3aSKr5H
6 pk brass brushes: amzn.to/3aSNv1y
15pk brass brush: amzn.to/3aVcAZH
Thermometer: amzn.to/2Yk07MH

[@jaggynettles]

honey i got that new dishwasher

[@timjipson]

Thumbs up solely for the toilet cleaning joke, that was funny! The water hot tank is fine but the rust isn't. Maybe a small amount of RV antifreeze would help.

[@jjbailey01]

A good way of not having to deal with flash rust is to run an electrolysis bath after hot tanking. Or just electrolysis if you don't have a bunch of rust and junk in the coolant passages. The electrolysis not only removes rust, it leaves a protective black oxide finish that is nearly primer ready. The only downside is the effectiveness of electrolysis can diminish deeper in the engine. Hot tank first if you need to.

[@bunythebeastgamer6920]

Or you could’ve just said Cathodic protection 😂

[@jjbailey01]

@@bunythebeastgamer6920 😆

[@thebigpicture2032]

Yes, a much better idea than WD-40 which can cause a lot of problems when you paint.

[@155stw]

Very good. But I still think it needs some agitation. Might avoid a lot of needed brushing after the hot-tanking.

[@davidfrank2824]

I loved your idea with using the hot water heater to keep your soaking water hot. I'm going to steal that idea from you when I start my rebuild over the winter. Matter of fact before I wrote this comment I went to my Home Depot list and added that to what I need to pick up from there. I'm glad to see you using WD-40 on your bear medal. Some people don't realize depending on what part of the country you live in that on a nice humid day you can watch rust start attacking your clean part in just about an hour. Since I'm always messing around with something to do with metal I keep a case of WD-40 on hand. It's not like it will ever go bad. I really enjoyed your video thank you for sharing your experience.

[@ibidu1]

After washing it, use a blow torch to quickly dry the parts. Then you can use diesel or wd40

[@michaelgettles3424]

Used an old 500 gal propane tank. Stood in on end, made an pivot hinge for the cutoff top for access. Used an old propane burner ring underneath for heat. Every time we changed Varsol in the parts washer we’d dump the old stuff in the boiler. Bring to a boil and drop in your parts. Cleaned out all the oil and water passages, old core sand still in the block and all the gunk and sludge inside and out. Might think about putting a temp switch on the heating element to keep it from boiling all the water out.

[@tonymartin4255]

bro how are you going to clean the mess off yer driveway does a good job though probably best to do over the neighbours place

[@JamesDoylesGarage]

Great video. Thank you for sharing this adventure 😊

[@jimbridges4141]

EASY GUY, THAT Water Heater element is most likely a 240 volts/ 4500 watt sand hog element forwater heaters, you can use 120 volts and it will heat, but not very quickly. Your Element holder would be safer if you used a Galvanized 2" by 1" and a Half inch metal bell reducer OR a 2" inch Galvanized metal Coupling and 2"×1"1/2 metal bushing to screw in the Heating Element. I use and old propane tank, it's 250 gallons and the old gas heaters for a boiler tank from a hotel works good also. I use Zepp cleaner along with (first ) pressure washing as much of the outside with all the Freeze Plugs removed. The Steam Ginnys push some serious hot steam pressure and 210 degrees. You can also use a Turkey Fryer burner with stand underneath to heat the liquid on low settings for a hot ass tank liquid if you choose. I've built several 55 gallon drums EXACTLY for what these home shop builders want for their engine cleaning. NO SHORTCUTS. I like the larger propane tanks due to how thick the metal is, and the burner doesn't hurt the external metal. To keep it hot (as a back up, a 4500 watts element. You can use A Lower Wattage Element like a 2000 watt, just takes longer to heat. Safety First and with a breaker or Ground Fault Breaker wired to protect. Still though nice project.

[@ZLUVCRUCE]

Great video. Thank you for taking the time to share

[@cwmaxfield2000]

Great Start. I can think of several upgrades. But Hey it works. 👍

[@kylegreen3728]

I like the idea! So keep an eye out for a large electric hot water tank, to cut the top off!

[@unitedstatesofbuild4915]

There you go, you could do all kinds of parts in it. Thanks for watching!

[@jjbailey01]

Just keep in mind the heater element protrudes into the tank.

[@geodes4762]

I use a leaf blower to blow most of the water off at the same spraying a bit of WD-40 on the block and parts. The blower and Wd-40 work good together as far as distributing the WD-40 into all the nooks and crannies.

[@RCAFpolarexpress]

Good day Sir, now that a very clean engine block and pistons !!! I'm pretty sure you are going to receive some comments about the exposed electrical connections on the electrical hot water heater but I'm pretty convince that you know what you are doing Sir !!! That's very good hot tank cleaner !!! Very good video Sir and keep up the good works !!! Cheers !!!

[@unitedstatesofbuild4915]

It wasnt up to my normal electrical standards but you've got to keep it interesting, live a little you know? If it did get me they wouldve chalked it up to covid anyhow.

[@RCAFpolarexpress]

@@unitedstatesofbuild4915 LOL That is sooooo funny Sir !!! The way you write that one !!! You just make my day Sir !!! Ho my good that is so outstandingly funny !!! You should do a video with that same spirits Sir !!! Please do take and have a good one !!! Cheers !!!

[@timbrwolf1121]

I've got a 383 big block and 906 heads from a 68 charger that I plan on dropping into my 95 dakota. Pretty sure I will do this to save some money on it. Thanks man!

[@timbrwolf1121]

Thinking I will keep the barrel intact though and drop the engine in with a cherry picker vertically. Won't have to replenish the water that way.

[@unitedstatesofbuild4915]

I recently bought an aquarium aerator (basically an air pump) and added some hose into the tank, it keeps the water agitated. It really made a difference.

[@joey-cn6mt]

Hey I got a Dokata. How are you going to shoe horn that thing in there?? Good luck my friend.

[@kimseymour8896]

In the sand blasting Industry when wet blasting occurs they use salt Peter mixed in with water it prevents rust from occurring. Look at the dustless blasting Industry they sell it.

[@Truth-Seeker777]

1.) Hot tank 2.) Bathe in Evaporust 3.) Wash with WD40

[@sailcat662]

dude, that was awesome. Thanks for sharing and I'm definitely subbing

[@thebigpicture2032]

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the way he manhandled that block. Could’ve used the forklift but no need, just dropped it in like it was a featherweight.

[@ArthurFleck-tx9di]

I was just thinking the same I've done it in my earlier 20,s but the man acted like it was a small box lmao 😂

[@ArthurFleck-tx9di]

Not to mention your left wit a he'll of a parts washer. Could also add another element and use solvent

[@ArthurFleck-tx9di]

Or I'd just use electrosis

[@jphil]

Formula 88 in a homemade hot tank is where it's at! I swear by the stuff, and it's biodegradable! :-D

[@1995dresser]

I made a hillbilly hot tank to clean a sludged up valve cover .I used a small oval galvanized tub I got at lowes and used my smoker gas burner for heat and used Mean green also did a great job

[@Reman1975]

For cleaning smallish parts like cam/valve covers, a mate used to have an old restaurant style dishwasher in the corner of his workshop. He had to replace the pump and rubber pipes with ones that could cope with being in contact with scalding hot degreaser, but it did an impressive job at making old parts look really presentable. The only problem was that because the replacement pump he used had a much higher flow rate AND pressure, he had to wire small parts to the shelves, or they'd get thrown around inside like trash cans in a tornado. :D

[@1995dresser]

@@Reman1975 when I was 16 I washed dishes in a restaurant with one of those machines yes the water was scalding hot plus the powdered soap that it used was like an acid so between the water and soap it took everything off the dishes the soap was so caustic we had large aluminum pot that they made rice pudding in and they would burn the bottom of the pot just two tablespoons of soap and some hot water let it sit for 20 minutes and everything lifted off

[@Reman1975]

@@1995dresser Yeah, some of the chemicals routinely use in restaurants are actually scary stuff. Years back I had a mate living with me for several months after his messy divorce, he was a chef back then, and he'd occasionally bring back trade cleaning products when he saw specific tasks that could use them in my home (like oven cleaner and patio weed killer). I had an old white enamelled iron bath in that place, it was really nice, but no amount of scrubbing could make it look properly clean. One night he saw me googling to see roughly how much it would cost to get it grit blasted and re enamelled. When he returned from work the next evening he handed me 2 bottle of products made by 3M. One was a stain remover, and the other was some sort of porous surface sealer. He said if I was thinking of getting the bath tub stripped anyway, it's worth trying this first. I remember the instructions on the labels looked like I should have been wearing a full "HazMat suit" just to be in the same room as the unopened bottles, but I thought "Ahhh, whatever", dug out some safety glasses and a pair of kitchen rubber gloves, and set to it. :D I painted this cleaning gel onto the bath, waited (IIRC) 20 minutes, rinsed it off, and even while wet, the whole tub looked matt and etched, but SOOOOOOO clean. With nothing to lose now, I painted on the sealer, then, as per the instructions, waited for a bit, then scrubed it back off. The transformation was amazing. It was glossy, pure white, and looked almost brand new. I wish I could remember what these products were called, but it was a long time ago, and I'm pretty sure they weren't available to the general public. Pretty much every cleaning product he brought into my home was amazing (And slightly concerning). They were all made to just be sprayed, painted, or poured on, left for a bit, then washed off, and worked better than anything you could buy at the supermarket, even with added elbow grease. :D

[@derush20032000]

the best cleaning mixture is water and red devil lye in the hot tank thats what we used is the machine shop in cal to get around there epa laws.

[@Nikko780]

That's good until you're working with aluminum...

[@VictorTJerry]

Awesome 👌 video. What was it that you sprayed the engine block with?

[@hekterr6677]

I think a garden sprayer would work better than a spray gun with the WD40… great video thanks

[@juliodiaz8280]

How did you wire the heating element?

[@jackzeilsdorff3164]

A soda blaster from harbor freight works great for cleaning and removing flash rust! great for carb bodies too. must make sure to blow them out well

[@mercer982]

i have used Diesel as a cleaner and it kinda prevents the rust aftermath also.

[@retireddec04]

Did you remove plugs for oil galleys? Would be good idea to run brush thru galleys after 1st long soak. Nice cheap setup.

[@waynetrain4636]

how do you get the rust out of the cooling chanels, you know, the place you wanted to be clean in the first place ?!

[@classicstangbrn8964]

Did you pull the oil gallery plugs?

[@wheeliebad11B]

The ol slippery slope 😆

[@juniorrackley2569]

Why dont you use the electrolysis to remove the rust?

[@tonytee.1864]

You could of screwed the heating element into one of the bung holes of the drum with a adapter from the hardware store. But I like it !

[@DailyDriverGarage]

You said bung hole...lol

[@conradkortz]

Thanks the the build idea man! Mine is coming along great just gotta get some heater elements and liquids. What do you think about running two heater elements one mounted on each flatside of the barrel like 2-3 inches up front the bottom?

[@conradkortz]

Are you just running it off of 110?

[@bernhardlist9359]

I would put a propane burner from a turkey frier underneath and boil it.

[@clarencehalfmann5323]

There is a rust inhibitor you put in the hot wash that will stop the rust, you might get a very thin amount of rust but not much at all

[@brandonsilvay4822]

Does Thermo guns need to be about 3 to 8 in away at most afoot for to Ashley wrestler correctly the closer it is the more accurate is

[@peggyparrow2059]

What did you use as cleaning agents. You forgot to say ?

[@chriswesney]

Gosh dang "He-Man" pick that block up with one hand.

[@chapie62]

it only weighs 135 pounds bro

[@davidwillis5016]

I just learned this the other day from a friend of mine that was in and the military, WD-40 took down 40 tries until they got the right chemical and and that where the 40 came from, water displacement 40

[@rotherthies]

Steam IS the hottest and most painful burn. I was sitting here waiting for it. Hahaha

[@kenlelon369]

That settles it. I'll be dropping mine off at the machine shop.

[@Chocolazulu]

As a builder of more engines than I can remember you working hard not smart

[@rp75heavy]

Sonic wave really helpful

[@shawng7902]

I use wd40 by the gallon in an old spectracide spray set up. Only one that has lasted so far and it has a 3ft hose and sprayer. Works killer for flash rust.

[@geoffreymills9932]

I'm wondering how that element worked being in plastic with no ground,

[@kenmagoon2941]

What if you had a submersible pump the move the water around a little bit

[@chev2rcr900]

Great video

[@travismcosker3607]

If you want to store the block for a long time use chain lube like for motorcycles

[@smaksymiv4950]

You stop the flash rust by washing off with a pressure washer then dry off / out with an air wand .

[@jesusa.espino6408]

Very good 👍😊 young man.

[@gmcnelly2468]

Suggest some agitation. There are KZbin videos whereby an orbital sander is attached to a container and it does a pretty good job. Might give it a try.

[@unitedstatesofbuild4915]

Great tip! I like that idea

[@RatRodBobBuilds]

Works for me!

[@unitedstatesofbuild4915]

Heck yeh, now back to the builder for reassembly.

[@robcole8218]

What a great idea with spray the WD-40 that way

[@tonyruggirello2757]

I have been told to just build a small fire under the parts washer and let it boil, I may try to use bbq coals haha

[@ChipsAndSparksGarage]

I’m sure that was a more thorough job than they would have done at the machine shop. 👍Tony B

[@unitedstatesofbuild4915]

Thats good to know, thanks for stopping by Tony. Big parts reveal coming soon, thanks largely in part to you! Thanks again!

[@ChipsAndSparksGarage]

@@unitedstatesofbuild4915 cool! I’ll be watching

[@jimfitzgibbon5492]

I was a auto machinist in the 60,s & 70,s. We hot tanked all our cast iron blocks & so on. We used a caustic chemical from Zepp. It cleaned like nothing that you see today. Out vat was heated with a gas burner under the bottom. We then pulled the block & spayed it off with a water hose. Big problem to day is were do you dispose of all the nasty crud that comes off those engines. We just washed over a drain in the floor. That is why you don't see hot vats anymore. What did you do with you waist? I cussed the FDA about many things, but they did stop alot of bad stuff as that.

[@jayinmi3706]

Wouldn't the waste have been the purview of the EPA, not the FDA?

[@1995dresser]

I was a Machinist at a place that machined cast iron and to remove the rust stains from the concrete they used a product called Oakite hope I spelled it right very caustic but the concrete looked new a buddy of mine had a homemade hot tank heated by two kerosene heaters and used Oakite in it the engine blocks came out like new

[@retireddec04]

When it cools you could skim the oil off the top. Reuse the cleaner until no longer effective. Collect heavy sediment from bottom of tank. Dispose like you would waste oil/ antifreeze.

[@yrubuggin2000]

Project farm tested the most popular degreasers and Zepp is the best.

[@tommysanders7414]

I'm wondering if adding circulation to the mixture with a low pressure air bar at the bottom of the tank would help in cleaning it quicker and better

[@darkiee69]

It would at least make sure to spread the heat evenly across the tank.

[@larryhennig6410]

I have done that before , and it does improve cleaning but if your inside a building,it will make fumes that burns your eyes and nose

[@darwindodge6260]

Why not add clr to the final soak

[@captainsledge7554]

Red green show approved of this video

[@ernest.cazenave]

Have you added some vinegar liters to that soup...??...its good to degrease and clean..

[@larryburns4605]

Cascade works good also .

[@greglewellen4510]

Wheel bright will take that surface rust off in ten seconds

[@kelvinsmith5533]

Amazing

[@ryanjacobsen9557]

Had a buddy so the same thing but would make a small fire under it

[@bradnavratil5502]

Half hour at the car wash.... Then you have no mess to deal with And then WD40 as soon as you're done Prevent That surface rust::); That's what I have always done works great

[@youdontknowme9118]

You need a thermostat But this is better than the galvanized trash can I seen.

[@donnykiofetzis5775]

this method is only used after block has been chemical cleaned and flash rust has set in. phosphoric acid diluted with water. paint on with brush or submerge. let dry do not wash of. not recommended for aluminum cleans and stops flash rust leaves a protection coat for at least 7 days. if you want to paint item or clean just clean with a rag and some thinners. remember oil parts to stop rust setting in. if there's some phosphoric residue in block like fine powered its safe to mix with oi

[@67polara]

I'll bet the rubber in that oil-filter spin-on adapter is gone....LOL

[@jamescanfield5845]

more heat. less chemicals. your tub is perfect. but i'd take it to a grassy area you don't care about and start a fire under it. the grease will melt off. 1/4 cup of dawn dish soap will keep it from sticking back to the block when ya pull the drain plug.. rinse and ready for machine shop...

[@clutch5sp989]

Did ya'll notice that sumbeech lifted the block in there like it was nothing? I'm kinna strong and strained lifting a bare V6 up enough to put a 2x4 under it.

[@et4222]

Set turkey fryer burners under the drum

[@thomaskoshinsky7768]

Should of put CLR in it get rid of rust in water passages

[@robertweitlauf4653]

a jet wash would have done a better job of cleaning the inside and out. the jet washer washes the block with pressurized sprayers just like a big dish washer. and a machine shop washer has an anti rust agent.

[@StephenHarristnt]

I'm guessing you didn't listen to the video since he answered this

[@robertweitlauf4653]

@@StephenHarristnt i wasn't saying do it i was commenting on his comment. and what he did did not clean the water passage. and the jet wash water has anti rust additives.what he spent on soap and water, electricity, and time he could have tanked 2 blocks.

[@StephenHarristnt]

@@robertweitlauf4653 okay, ihu

[@tjs_welding_and_fabrication]

Cool content but stripping the block of cam bearings and all passage plugs plugs should be done prior to this process.

[@boysrback5690]

When done fill with 5 gal of vinegar and water will remove the flash

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Very basic but works. You need to get it out an pressure wash everything. Get into the water passages to clear all the loose crap off. Those jet blasters do a very good job removing grease, paint, carbon but A do not get into the water passages very well. Or into oil galleries either. That is where 'boiling' the block out is preferable. Followed by a very good pressure wash into all those galleries. Even then depending how rusty it was you will probably need a filter of some sort in the cooling system after

[@jdtv...9134]

Muy bueno with the H2O. Should have used metal tubing not PVC

[@ronniejohnson317]

Vinegar will take off flash rust .

[@eprofessio]

I guess the real answer is an oven with a clean cycle to burn all the stuff off.

[@joey-cn6mt]

You have to ,ceal the elatroad and put it under the water like it is in a hot water heater submerged. tTh en it would not melt the pvc

[@tj484]

Best thing for rustolium is suferic acid.brick cleaner.works in 30 min.only steel or iron.no aiuminum

[@buellboy24]

This is... Something. I think. 🤣

[@DanTheManIOM]

FIRE....oh, I see, heating element, ok, guess that is smarter. Electrolysis next to derust ? I thought I need stations to take dirty parts all the way to paint....

[@kenkerr7048]

Wd40 displaces moisture temporarily, i mean people can do what they want and find out the hard way but parts can still rust if stored long term. I would not recommend just throwing wd40 on it for storage.

[@brandonsilvay4822]

And having that much of your heating element exposed can I see call tzahi ml element to go bad

[@AlexRides808]

My dumb ass would have lit a fire under the barrel

[@mk6995]

why not boil the water

[@alexanders1075]

Its a better idea if you used gasoline to clean the engine from the beginning

[@LemonCakeYT]

WD40 literally stands for water displacement, and the 40 because it was their 40th try.

[@1276scooter]

I think a machine shop would have cleaned them all for about $40

[@nedudki]

exactly, in the thermal cleaning oven...

[@thatguy83ful]

More like 80

[@jayinmi3706]

Are you going to have to hot tank it again to get the WD40 out of the coolant passages before assembly? I don't imagine wd40 and antifreeze will like each other.

[@mongomay1]

Degrease block, then use an acid bath to clean rust like vinegar.

[@kalebross5443]

What would you recommend for an acid bath?

[@mongomay1]

@@kalebross5443 Vinegar, evaporust, electrolysis there are many channels out there posted on the subject. There is an easy button that looks like a magnifying glass from the good old days; type what you are wanting to know, then press enter or double-click.

[@Jvanzterr]

If u would have put some firewood underneath that would have helped a hell of a lot more

[@mewrongway]

Is that a Ford block, They tell me Dynamite works real good on those!

[@unitedstatesofbuild4915]

gm or mopar guy??

[@mewrongway]

@@unitedstatesofbuild4915 Ford for 30 years then I bought a new F150 with a 5.4L that was broke all the time and Ford done nothing. 30,000 for a truck that wasn't worth a dime! Now I kick Shelby GT500 ass with my LS S10. lol

[@bohamkobi8127]

I'love American 😍👍

[@DieselRamcharger]

mean grean sucks big balls. LA's Finest Degreaser from the dollar store is the cheapest ive found. Lowes sells it too for 4x the price. Works fucking amazing though.

[@Obshowersyndicate]

Build a fire under that thing or a propane burner

[@vernonbosshard9317]

Lye works better and faster. And doesn't cause flash rust. NOT for alum. Or get some Attax hot tank solution, its basically the same, caustic soda. It removes rust. Back in day before you environmental huggers came along we used it and it works!! For the rust get some muriatic acid and make a weak solution, 30/70 acid to water, it will remove the rust, but then you have to rinse and neutralize it with washing soda or the like. blow dry and coat with wd immediately. I don't think rust would have been an issue but you got it too hot and let it go dry. And why are your pistons in there? Thats a no no. Generally you clean alum and ferrous separately.