Cleaning/Polishing jugs and head

[Kerry Wood]

XSives,

Currently working on my motor and have removed the cylinder head to replace the valve guide seals (which 2 are leaking). I was wondering the best way to clean up the jugs and cylinder head to make them look more presentable on the outside.

Also, will most automotive machine shops boil a cylinder head to decarbonize it or are they going to run me off?

I've used my glass bead blast cabinet to clean lots of stuff in the past. Can it be used on the cylinder head or do you think the glass bead could damage the valve seats?

Options and opinions are welcome. Thanks for the help.

[Ken Talbot]

I aksed a friend who operates a radiator repsir shop if he could dip some cylinders for me to clean them up. He showed me how quickly the caustic solution he uses ate into a piece of aluminum, and the answer was clear, that was not the way to go.

Glass beads should work okay for most of the head and the cylinders. Go easy around the valve seats where you could use a good spray cleaner and brass brushes instead.