GOT AIR??
following it up with acetone to dry the block
Does this mean that you don't have access to compressed air?
blowing the block passages out with a spray wand running mineral spirits
I don't know how clean the block will be, but you're eye balls are going to be a mess.
Before you do any cleaning, were you planning on chasing any of the cap or head, bolt hole threads.
GOT AIR??
You know, to blow those out too.
I'm with Proffit on the cleaning. HOT water and Tide. Wheel the thing outside. Scrub it good with your bottle and rifle brushes; and the soapy water. Hose the hell out of it and while you're blowing out all the passages, the sun will take care of the rest.
Now it's time to clean the block. Put a clean white rag in your hand and pour motor oil on it. Wipe down the cylinder walls. When you pull it back out, it will have a gray imprint of your fingers on it. More clean rags, more clean oil. Don't stop until the rags come out clean.
OK
Does it matter if I touch the bearing journals with my fingers during assembly?
I'm trying to figure out in my mind how you could proceed without touching them. I'm assuming you don't have mics, so you'll be checking the clearance with plastigage. Set the crank in dry, DO NOT TURN. Set the gage in, torque it down, take the caps off and check the reading. With a little thinner on the corner of a rag, wipe the gage off. Lift the crank out, pour oil on the bearings and the main journals and then take that CLEAN FINGER and make sure that oil is everywhere on all the bearing surfaces. Now do the same on the rod journals, one at a time. And don't ding the crank rod journals like everyone here will swear they never have. Ya, right
I got one step ahead there. You did check the ring gaps before you installed them?
