Cleaning up 26 years of filth

[backlander]

After removing all the body, I found 26 years of dust, road spray film and crap all over the front upper frame where all the electronics, connectors and wiring is located. I want to clean all that up, but I don't want to take a chance on pressure washing that area. Any suggestions cause I hate working on dirty stuff. I must be Obsessive Compulsive. :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy:

 

[joedrum]

parts brusch and wisk broom ...broom first everything you can ...use blower to of some kind or yourself if you have wind to spare....then some evaporating solvent oil like deisil and gas mix or what ever ...and realy douse it good ...go eat and rest and come back later to work on it

 

[backlander]

Thanks joe. I just didn't want to cause more problems than I got to fix already and I got a couple wiring mods to do in that area.

 

[Earl43P]

I used a pressure washer and Simple Green / Purple Power surfactant/degreaser.

I wet the whole bike with water, sprayed degreaser, let that sit while I used a couple different brushes; the spokes brush was very handy.
Kept it wet with a misting of water every now and then. Once I had what I thought was the majority of crud off, I hit it with the pressure washer wide spray tip. Don't get the tip too close!

I value my time and the pressure washer was the way to go for me.
Of course, I didn't actually make the bike run for several months following that cleanup, so there was plenty of time to dry things out and brighten up connector contacts, which was always part of the overall plan.

When I got to the reassembly stage, I hand wiped all the harnesses and cables and hoses with a rag wet with the same cleaner. Some of the rubber, like brake hoses, got wiped with ATF to brighten them up. I've heard that brake fluid cleans rubber nicely but don't let it get on paint.

 

[backlander]

Thanks for the tips Earl, I'm kinda leary of the pressure washer but had thought about using my pump up sprayer with water to rinse with. I'm going to try the evaporating type cleaners first .

 

[slabghost]

I use start spray and a rag when I'm in a hurry. It flash drys but no smoking around it!

 

[backlander]

thats a good idea, I can get that or carb cleaner at the Dollar Store,not that I'm cheap or anything, oh yes I am. :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: No smoking for me slab, had to quit when they installed four new hydraulic lines in my heart in 06. And to think a bunch of people said I didn't even have a heart. :smilie_happy: Now if I can just get this dadblamed clear coat off these timing belt covers, I've tried everything and it don't want to let go.

 

[slabghost]

get some garbage bags and spray them with oven cleaner and put them in the bags for an hour or so then clean them off.
I haven't tried it myself but I've read it works. Worth a try at least. :salute:

 

[backlander]

On the timing covers, so far I've tried Sticker Shock, Goo Gone, Rubbing Compound, Steel Wool,SOS Pads, Acetone, Lacquer Thinner,Alcohol (that one didn't work either but it helped my attitude a bunch :smilie_happy: ). HD oven cleaner, 400 wet sand, so then I went all the way to 150 wet sand and it finaly started coming off. I don't know what kind it is but it is tuff. I got some muriatic acid and aluma brite concentrate to try tomorrow and if that don't work it's off to see the wizard and get some of that aircraft paint stipper, 12.00 bucks a can. What a rip.

 

[joedrum]

:smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :mrgreen: :Awe: :cheeky: :fiddle: a little dirt claer coat getting under your skin

 

[backlander]

:smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: Joe, you kill me, man. I knew it was a tuff job when I took it, I think it's the fumes from all dem chemicals and the ak-ee-hall done messed with my mind. :smilie_happy: I looked lik dis in the mirror while ago :shock: