I'm not sure if I'm dreaming yet it seems simple green is a lot stronger than I thought.
I dumped 4 gallons of regular simple green into a big bin and soaked my control arms for about a week- I meant to leave them in for a few hours yet life and work caused a million delays. I pulled the pieces out after a week, pressure washed them and they were bright silver, clean metal, no grease, no paint, nothing. I was amazed.
I dropped my spindles and a bunch of parts in next and results were less dramatic yet very good.
Simple green seems to kick butt on caked on grease,light surface rust and general crapola. I was really impressed.
When compared to our silicon valley prices for glass beading and hot tanking- this is the way to go.
I added simple green to my vibrating bowl/tumbler with ceramic media and it made every single nut, bolt and washer perfectly clean in a matter of hours. I love this stuff.
THought this might be helpful.

 

Thanks for that. I was using muriatic acid and a forgotten secondary hood latch was almost eaten alive! My fasteners could use some sprucing up also.

 

I've always liked Simple Green, though I've never tried soaking in it. (Sounds like a Palmolive commercial.)


Control arms were usually painted before attaching to the car. But some of the suspension components only received a shot of "black-out" after assembly. This was a thin, tar-like paint which never seemed to dry completely. It's understandable if Simple Green removes black-out. I'm more surprised if it removes cured paint.

 

Good to know. I was using toilet bowl cleaner for small stuff....think I will switch

 

Worth a try. I bet the grease softened the paint. But who knows?
I left some wheel cylinders in vinegar a bit too long they got smaller.
Was a win because they were siezed and I was able to reuse them.
(just around the yard-never on the street)

 

Yes- Simple Green in full strength, fresh batch will remove old frame and component paint- it's really impressive. After soaking several pieces the strength seems to die down.
SImple Green is cheaper than glass beading prices around here…..
Most impressive is putting a cup of green in the parts tumbler with ceramic media- everything comes out beautiful.

 

I use Simple green to soak the hardware I removed from this restoration. I'd put the bolts and washers in about 5 inches of SG in a paint mixing cup and let it soak for 10 days, change the solution and let them soak another week. The results are amazing. All the grime and old paint literally fell off. A light buff with a brass brush, and they're ready to re-use.

 

I just soaked an original VC breather and the oil filter adapter in a bucket of Simple Green for about two weeks. It removed all the oil and grime but the factory paint is still on both items.

 

The old feller on YouTube taught me to use graphite plates with washing soda. The graphite plates eliminate that red scum usually associated with electrolysis. This process will take all rust and with a little brass brushing the paint off as well. Best and most economical way to go. I use a large black and yellow bin I bought from Costco. Search my previous post on it if you are interested.

 

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...tion-tips.html

 

Yes, Simple Green is some amazing stuff. Smells good, works great for many uses and is biodegradable. The directions say if diluted it can be used on windows, but I've not had much luck using on glass. I did find a product called "Perfect Glass" at Bed, Bath and Beyond, that I highly recommend. It works as intended and with fiber towels it works even better!

 

Have a part partially submerged now. We will see. Curious about the rust claim.

Also have a gallon of Pine Sol I will give a try on something else. Just for.. 's

 

Simple Green seemed to soften the paint. So did Pine Sol. Neither workeds real well. Probably depends on the paint type. Lots of post on how model builders use it with good results. Did nothing to the rust.
Just my results.