The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Best method to degrease front brake drum?

Wonder if any of you have found a better method than the tooth brush and old rag method of degreasing the the front brake drum and backing plate too get it ready for paint?
I plan also to use the electrolysis method to derust because it seems to work better on parts that have been degreased first.
Any suggestions???

Brakleen in a can

Soak it in mineral spirits???? Mineral spirits is cheap by the gallon. Get a plastic dish pan large enough to hold the drum & fill it with mineral spirits. Work it over with a stiff solvent brush every so often. I have a solvent tank but you probably don't want to pay that much.

I have a parts washer tank from Harbor freight
but Not sure what kind of solvent to put in it that want damage the pump.And its a 20 gallon tank so your right not sure I would want to invest in that much cleaning solvent for just two hubs.
What about the Castrol Superclean degreaser or Simple Green Degreaser I have a small power washer 1700psi would this be a option or a waste of time?
Thanks again for your responses

Wipe out the major glob of grease with a rag over a stick or screwdriver then hit it with your pressure washer. Should remove all the grease, if you need to, wipe the exces with a rag soaked with solvent.

I grabbed something called Purple Power from Advance Autoparts the other day. It was on a promo sale at $4.50 a gallon. It seemed to work a whole heck of a lot faster and better than Simple Green on the items I cleaned: an old transmission caked in about 1" of grease, an old engine in similar condition, another engine that probably had more oil on the outside than inside the oilpan.

I have a regular parts washer and solvent.

I usually use a putty knife for the heavy grease, then pressure wash.

If you just want it cleaned up and in paint (cheap), you can wash it in hot soapy water (I use Dawn) and rinse. Dry it off and when completely dry, wipe it down with some wax and grease remover (prep) and then paint it with some Iron Guard equipment enamel from an implement dealer. Iron Guard technically doesn't need primer over bare metal. You can get it in a rattle can, quarts or gallons.

If you are going high tech paint on these parts, putty knife, pressure wash, bead blast and then prime and paint.

I've used the Purple Power before. Not bad for a water based degreaser.

FYI - Pressure washers are great for parts, but they can get messy too. You need a good cement surface to do it on too. Also, the grease will have a tendancy to fly every where else and stick to what ever is close. Not good next to wife's car or the house, or the neighbors house/car.

I have used purple power many times, and it works great before pressure washing.

If I have a lot or really nasty of stubborn stuff I will take the parts to the local automotive machine shop and put them in the "hot tank" an automated parts washer with a powerful and hot solvent. Often the paint is removed as well as the grease.

Grigg

Go to the local coin car wash, and soak the parts with the "tire & engine cleaner" spray. Let them sit a few minutes, then use the high-pressure soap spray, followed by a clear water rinse. Do it late at night, as some car wash managers get really testy about washing grease down their drains!
Jerry

I use oven cleaner on the really slimy stuff. I also have access to a hot tank at work which is just an enclosed steam cleaner with an anti-rust alkalie. See what it would cost to run them through your local shops parts cleaner,
Scott

throw them in the corner and install disc brakes! if drum brakes are so great they would still be using them. if you ever experienced "brake fade" and lived to tell the story you will understand, pretty hairy going downhill pulling a loaded car trailer and you lose your brakes. never happened with any of my rigs that had disc's on front. and gotta love those "single master cyl." just my 2 cents worth

Home made WD-40 1 gallon Varasol.It's about 4 bucks a gallon and a quart of hydraulic oil
and you can run it in this
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=7340
Maxx

macs brake cleaner sold at napa tryed 3 brands just to see it cleans things up fast it has napas name but says its made by macs

If it don't come clean with Super Clean it don't come clean.
It's worked great for me in the garage and elsewhere.

At the cost of new drums(on some models), it may be cheaper and easier to buy new ones. My 59 and 65 trucks are $24 each at the local parts store.

Castrol Super Clean and Oven Cleaner work Wonders. As of now I am using this on my rear drums, backing paltes axles and will let it soak and power wash ut tomorrow am.

just my 2 cents

Birge

easy off oven cleaner

I AM A FIRM BELIEVER ...in Castrol Super Clean ..if ya use it straight wear rubber gloves ...it is hard on the skin ...but IT WORKS !

I use a 5 gallon bucket full of red devil lye. You can leave the parts in there for months on end if you have to, but they will come out completely degreased. So will your hands, if you dip them in. Use gloves.

Lye is cheap, not a fire hazard, and safe to the environment once diluted.

4ontheFloor: I'm in Salem and have been looking for some lye. Where did you find it?

Focus, Go to your fuel distributor and get 15 gallons of Varsol. Also known as Naptha, it's cheap and I use it in my Harbor Freight parts washer. Most mechanic shops use it too.

Frank