Looks great. Can I get your recipe?

 

Sure, thought I posted it last night for the other guy asking but I must've forgot to submit it? It's not really much of a recipe, just some natural (organic?) molasses mixed 8 to1 with water. Some people say 9 to 1, others 10 to 1 but it's not hard to add more water either. I was gonna go all mad scientist and add some apple cider vinegar and baking soda but glad I didn't. You don't need anything but molasses and water. Molasses is pretty thick as you probably realize so I started off with really hot water and slowly added the molasses and stirred like crazy until it was mixed in really well and then added the rest of the water. I bought a 22 gallon garbage can and 2 gallons of molasses from GFS and spent just shy of $60 total. I was a little upset at first that I spent that money for that instead of parts but as of now I'm glad I did. Just thinking about how many wire wheels I would go through cleaning all these parts as well as wearing out a grinder and myself to get the same results justfies every penny. Plus this stuff will last a long long time so every part that comes out clean averages the price down a little bit more.

I managed to fit the core support (half of it anyway) into the container and should be ready to go by the time I get the front suspension apart and ready for soaking. Just hope the really cold weather stays away a while longer....

 

I have a couple spare Rubbermaid garbage cans that can be purposed for this. What is the vicosity when mixed? I keep thinking sludge. Maybe set a small drum on my turkey fryer after dinner Thanksgiving night? lol

I like how the hood springs turned out for sure. I mostly use the ultrasonic cleaner at work for smaller parts. This could be the ticket for bigger stuff. Does it eat paint too? My kids have gone through a small kiddie pool ever year for three years now. They are stacking up. I could fill one up in the backyard this winter maybe, then toss a fender in. lol Probably not. But I will give it a shot for something I'm sure.

 

Good question as I had assumed the same thing before making the solution. It's not thick at all and in appearance looks like a strong cup of coffee or soy sauce. A kiddie pool would be perfect as long as it's deep enough. Ultimately I would love to own a parts washer and a media blaster but the funds just aren't there for me. The solution only works on rust, not paint. That's where a blaster would be better. I did notice though that if there's a painted spot with rust bubbles underneath it'll take care of those too. That's really the issue with a lot of my parts, the PO did a half-assed resto and just painted over everything without any disassembly and metal prep. I've still got some sanding ahead of me but this stuff really cuts down on it. If you decide to try it out I'm positive you'll be glad you did.

 

The thicker the solution, the faster it works. Most people go to the local feed store and get molasses for cattle. It can be purchased pretty cheaply in larger quantities, and works as well as anything. You can buy it as liquid, or dried powder, and in a 50 lb. dried powder bag it sells for under $20.

 

Why dilute it at all then? I've always read that it should be mixed around 9 to 1. It might be easier for others to find but I searched everywhere (the feed store was out) and only found it at a bulk food store in a gallon jug. $15 per gallon. I also read that the powdered kind doesn't work as well but I don't have an informed opinion on that.

 

Thanks vall

 

It's hard for it to be a decent money making venture when it usually takes a minimum of two weeks to cook.
Depending on the size of the parts you're working on, you'd likely need to have a crap-load of soaking vats or tubs.
Here's an overnight process that completely removes the rust, and the cost is next to nothing by comparison.
There are companies that do complete body dips using this process to remove all the rust.

 

Since the molasses gets diluted about 9 or 10 to 1 with water, the powder can be wetted to whatever thickness you like. I also have heard it doesn't work as well as liquid molasses, but it is easier to store, cheaper, and can be made more concentrated to work better.
Here's a link to the HAMB forum on a guy's use of molasses to clean his old engine block.
Technical Molasses bath made me a believer !! - THE H.A.M.B.

 

Made some progress yesterday on getting the stubborn brake booster/master cyl. out of the Camaro. Of everything that's been removed from this car, that's the only thing that hasn't come right out. One nut left on the firewall that doesn't want to budge! I'm going to capitalize on the 60+ degrees today and hopefully get the rest of that stuff out so I can move on to suspension disassembly. Exciting stuff! Pics to follow.

I've decided to replace most of the brake components but I'm curious about these 7/8/9" boosters that I'm seeing all over the parts sites. Without any knowledge of differences single/double diaphragm etc. is there a reason why/why not I could get one of these "universal master kits" for the camaro. I'm a little worried about vaccum with the cam I'm using 295/295 534 lift but these kits claim an increase in stopping power? Just curious.