carburettor cleaning

[Tuner]

I don't believe that ford autolite two barrels had a chromate coating. I have cleaned a lot of Edelbrock ARB style carbs in it and they come out nice and shiny. Providing corrosion has not attacked the metal. The solution does not remove corrosion only dirt and grime.

Aluminum carbs have a clear hard anodize coating. Have you tried non-acid rust removers? The 'corrosion' is oxides of metals in the fuel system, steel from the fuel line, aluminum from the fuel pump or carb interior, or galvanize from inside the tank, etc. Different oxide removers, aka rust removers, will have different effect on different oxides. I guess Zep quit making Rust Eraser, dang it, I found it was the most effective oxide remover in most cases, rust or 'corrosion'.

[rgalajda]

I don't believe that ford autolite two barrels had a chromate coating. I have cleaned a lot of Edelbrock ARB style carbs in it and they come out nice and shiny. Providing corrosion has not attacked the metal. The solution does not remove corrosion only dirt and grime.

That is the 2100 series Ford carb. It is very similar to the 4100 4 barrel. The body of the carb is aluminum and were originally left natural, no finish . Steel pieces were zinc plated and usually chromate applied. There is a couple pieces , choke housing and accelerator pump housing , that are zinc castings and these pieces had a chromate finish similar to this 4100 carb.
Here is a 4100 carb that I have restored for a 1965 Mustang.

IMG_20220427_091451.jpeg

The next picture is an Autolite 4300 4 barrel carb, I retored for a 1968 Cougar. The main body of this carb is zinc, which has chromate finish, not aluminum.

[Tuner]

I assure you, aluminum carburetors and carb parts, AFB, Autolite, T-Quad, SU, Weber, Solex, Mikuni, etc, etc, have a clear anodize coating for corrosion resistance. Otherwise, they would become "corroded" in a very short time, as we see raw aluminum most certainly does. Vigorous abrasive cleaning, glass blasting and abrasive media tumbling, removes clear anodize as easily as it will colored anodize and the raw aluminum will oxidize, aka "corrode", rapidly.

https://www.sunrise-metal.com/clear-anodized-aluminum/

[rgalajda]

Sounds like I will have to do more research. The CARBURETOR SHOP had a page on carburetor finishes which said the Carter aluminum was left natural. https://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Carbu ... htm#Carter

[Tuner]

Obviously it appears natural aluminum color, would be why that particular anodize treatment is called "clear".

https://support.caswellplating.com/port ... nline=true

[rgalajda]

Point me to where it says they are anodized.

[jake197000]

Soda blast

[winr]

There is an anodizing Company in Houston, I talked to the manager about anodizing my 4100 and 2100 carbs

He asked if they were only aluminum, I told him about the 4 brass tubes ( vacuum for power valve and from power valve to jets )

Did not mention the 4 vent tubes as they would be pulled out

He said there would be an electrical arc between the aluminum and brass tubes and mess up that area so he could not anodize them


Ricky.

[Jackal66]

Any small parts I clean are put into a 3 quart sonic cleaner.
About 1 cup of white vinegar, fill the rest with water.
I use heat setting. It is just hot enough that I can't hold the parts in my bare hands when done.

[travis]

I recently bought a small ultrasonic cleaner to try out, primarily for cleaning grungy engine fasteners. What do you guys recommend as a cleaning solution for this? The instructions only say to use an ultrasonic compatible cleaner...