parts washers/cleaners

[grumpyvette]

one factor many guys over look is cleaning and degrease parts, I like most guys started out using a 5 gallon bucket and a brush and some diesel fuel to clean parts , and degrease bolts etc.
now once you get used to working with degreased components you'll start to wonder why you ever worked on cars without a parts cleaner/washer as it helps a good deal.
now obviously use of flammable diesel fuel as a solvent is not ideal and detergents mixed with solvents and water are highly preferred, from a safety perspective, and you don,t want to use anything that evaporates quickly, stinks while in use or something that's overly corrosive or expensive for obvious reasons
but once you've used a parts washer with a sprayer , drain and pump you quickly get spoiled and can,t consider working on a car without using one to clean components and get the crud out of bolt threads etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Tool-Des ... 000&sr=1-2

http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2010/Main/655

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Parts-Was ... dbs_auto_4

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...k-after-a-cam-lobe-rod-or-bearings-fail.2919/

http://www.asedeals.com/partswashers2.html

having a pump that plugs into 110 volts and a drain with some type of filtered screen is obviously a big improvement over just soaking parts in diesel fuel, and a whole lot safer.
and having a couple brushs and a constant stream of solvent sure helps.
having a parts washer large and sturdy enough to let you soak a pair of BIG BLOCK CYLINDER HEADS and strong enough to support the weight of a bare block is a HUGE advantage, and it needs to have the OPTION to securely bolt to a wall or the floor for safety reasons as you don,t want it to tip over, as you turn a block or cylinder heads over so think thru your purchase, don,t just select on price alone

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automot ... 13287.html

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... marketID=2

most experienced mechanics have a 5 gallon bucket of assorted bolts and screws to fall back on when they can,t locate a fastener they break or mis -place, youll need to clean used bolts with solvent and a wire brush, but having a bucket of spare fasteners is nearly mandatory, A visit to a local salvage yard with several wrenches and a bucket and a couple hours time, will generally allow you to collect a wide random selection at e a very reasonable price , now you may not find exactly every bolt diameter and length and thread size but you will generally find youve accumulated a good basic selection

https://www.boltdepot.com/Thread_detective_-_Metal.aspx

every mechanic should own a decent 12" caliper to measure the length of a bolt,
that may be missing on any particular application.
bolts used on any application, must not bottom out in a blind bolt hole if the bolt bottoms out it fails to clamp firmly
bolts that are not threaded into a blind hole should extend at least two to three times,
its diameter past the far surface too allow a washer and nut to be threaded onto the bolts extended end to supply clamping force.
so the depth of the item being clamped and the threaded area the bolt secures its threads too should generally be at least 1/4" deeper than the length of the bolt used,
and the threads should extend at least 2-3 times the bolt diameter into the threaded area,
before the bolts clamping force is applied to clamp the item being secured.
obviously you can get a rough measurement with the base of the caliper.
and when in doubt select a GRADE #8 fastener,
as they are significantly stronger than average garden variety hardware store bolts.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200308979_200308979?utm_source=CSE&utm_medium=Shopzilla&utm_campaign=Construction > Measuring Tools > Calipers&utm_content=56248

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/bolts-a-bit-of-useful-info.4868/#post-13372

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/parts-coming-loose.11008/#post-48646

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Vernier-Caliper

https://www.boltdepot.com/Thread_detective_-_Metal.aspx

http://www.kimballmidwest.com/Catalog/M ... vellon.pdf

http://www.fastenal.com/content/feds/pd ... alling.pdf

http://www.agriculture.com/machinery/to ... 2192?print

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-and-assorted-spare-parts-in.3557/#post-20834

http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/universal/ut121.htm

http://www.unified-eng.com/scitech/bolt/boltmarks.html

http://www.ssina.com/fasteners/

http://www.kimballmidwest.com/catalog/M ... vellon.pdf

http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-infor ... chart.aspx

http://www.zerofast.com/markings.htm

http://www.nutsandbolts.com/v1-bolt-grade-markings.html

http://www.mechanicsupport.com/AN_bolts.html



http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Tool-Des ... 000&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Industri ... 00&sr=1-10

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/ ... _200350440

http://www.asedeals.com/RangerPW.html

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CLK-MT1110B/

heres (below) some rather cheap and rather flimsy but fairly useful parts washers for light duty use, but hardly something youll want if your equipping more than a hobby shop

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... umber=7340

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=94702



once more ID point out that having access to a decent welder and building your own custom version will be a cost saving and far less expensive option at times, and a decent start point can be a large stainless steel sink , surplus used restaurant supply stores and old restaurants can be a great source of stainless tables and larger sinks that can form the basis for building a cost effective parts washer

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1669

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=81

how many of you gentlemen use or own a parts washer?
how many built their own?
how many guys want one?


or don't you ever find you need to use , used or salvage yard parts that could used a bit of cleaning?

 

[grumpyvette]

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp ... RP2012____

theres several grease solvents that when mixed with water about 50%/50% that will work, keep in mind you don,t want anything flammable, or corrosive , or anything thats likely to screw up your solvent pump seals as thats not likely to work to your advantage in the long run

publix markets sells formula 23 grease solvent in the detergent isles
RENTING OR BUYING A PRESSURE WASHER CAN BE VERY HELPFUL

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=6255&p=19681&hilit=parts+washer#p19681

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=6501&p=20741&hilit=pressure+washer#p20741

viewtopic.php?f=51&t=2919&p=13672&hilit=pressure+washer#p13672
don,t forget a perforated steel or stainless steel screen basket helps at times, its a good deal easyier to wash hand fulls of bolts in a perforated steel basket

more useful info
http://www.harborfreight.com/20-gallon- ... 98332.html

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tools/part ... cessories/

http://www.mossmotors.com/forum/forums/thread/5675.aspx


http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2009- ... her-filter

 

[Dustytrix]

Well I never thought about making a parts washer out of a sink, good idea. What would a person use for a pump? I have a portable submersible one that I used for my kids pool a while back doubt it would work but have found some real good ideas on this site.

 

[grumpyvette]

http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2010/Main/655

IF your thinking about fabricating your own parts washer and wonder where to buy a suitable fluid pump...you obviously missed this link, posted in the original thread post
(look on the bottom right, of the link for a professional pump,return, etc)

 

[grumpyvette]

http://www.mossmotors.com/forum/forums/thread/5675.aspx

Building the Perfect Workbench
Locked

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to visit many sports car enthusiasts in their garages (usually with attached homes) and have found most garages to be poorly equipped to efficiently handle serious mechanical rebuild or restoration projects. I've also restored my share of cars and in the process have graduated from the bucket of gasoline, bag of old tools school of automobile mechanics. I've found that working on old sports cars is far more enjoyable when carried out in a well lit, clean and efficiently organized work area. A good rugged work bench and an efficient parts washer are perhaps the two most important elements in any well-equipped hobby shop. Having priced 'professional' parts washing equipment and a range of rugged work benches, I realized that short of taking out a second mortgage, I needed to develop a more economical alternative.

The work bench/parts washing combination described below was completed six or seven years ago and has worked out extremely well. The key design elements of the parts washer were ' borrowed' from production parts washers then on the market, while the bench is typical of designs found in various home handyman books. The beauty of this particular combination is that when the parts washer is not in use, it is truly out of the way, and the flush fitting cover allows for full use of the work bench top. When in use, there is ample room to park both washed and unwashed components. Incidentally, I've found my wife's shallow baking trays are great for drying and preventing excess solvent from soaking into the bench top, but once returned to the kitchen they tend to impart a mild repair shop aroma to her Christmas cookies! The sturdiness of the bench itself might at first appear to be overkill, but I've found it provides the necessary rigidity for working on heavy items, or when putting my oversized bench vice through exciting maneuvers. This particular bench is also free standing and is now in its second home. The backsplash has made my day on more than one occasion in keeping all of those little round balls and springs from rolling off the backside. I have finished off the plywood top with tempered masonite which is smooth, relatively durable and easy to keep clean. While the masonite is glued in place, the oak edge is attached with screws to allow for removal and easy replacement of the cemented masonite. The edge trim screws are chrome plated TD dashboard screws and provide a nice finishing touch.

The parts washing aspect of the design is simple, yet highly effective. The water filtration system couldn't be more efficient as all solids and heavy greases settle to the bottom of the tank while the clean solvent floats to the surface of the water where it is recycled. The water truly stays put and does not mix with the solvent.

I've used my washer extensively and have never had to change the solvent or clear the tank. Since there is no filter in the conventional sense, nozzle pressure is never reduced or restricted.

The solvent reservoir is made from a cut-down 55 gallon drum. I selected one with a removable top secured by a band clamp. By removing the midsection and rewelding with a continuous bead, the resized tank can be make air tight to eliminate solvent evaporation and fumes. Since the bottom six inches or so is filled with water, rust could become a problem. I eliminated this potential by fitting a 55 gallon polypropylene tank liner which is easily trimmed down. The heavy plastic tank liners are used for corrosive chemicals and can be obtained from the same source as the used 55 gallon drum. A good heavy coating of Moss fuel tank slushing compound (#220-450) on the inside of the bare tank would probably also minimize the chance of rust. The submersible pump that I used was purchased as a solvent pump from an industrial supply house. Apparently, ordinary water type submersible pumps work fine, such as the type used for garden water fountains. (Pump should deliver around 150 gallons per hour to 3 foot height.) The sink is a basic stainless steel kitchen sink and is large enough to hold a 4-cylinder engine block. All drain fittings and the hand held spray washer are normal kitchen hardware, while the main solvent gooseneck and control valve were obtained from the local industrial supply house.

I've wired the grounded power cord to a switch box on the front of the bench. I had originally envisioned finishing off the base of the bench with panelled sides and framed doors. This is the main reason for leaving all support rails flush with the bench legs. Drawers could also be added, but the top cross rail would have to be reduced in height which would, to a minor extent, compromise the strength of the bench. The bench washer set-up took a few evenings and the better part of a weekend to complete. As I recall, the cost of lumber and parts washing components was ultimately a fair bit more than I had originally estimated, but still far less than the cost of a separate production parts washer and bench. All in all, this has been a highly serviceable piece of equipment, has enhanced my enjoyment of working on old cars and was fun to build. Why not plan your own bench/washer building weekend soon!

related thread
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=6255&p=19681&hilit=parts+washer#p19681

http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2009- ... her-filter