[W126 Coupe] engine leprosy

[Doug Gavin]

Stephen Leslie wrote:

> My 380SEC has been in storage over the winter months and the engine is 

> coated with white powder surface corrosion.  What is the best way to 

> clean this up to look presentable again?   Are there any cleaning 

> solutions anybody can recommend?  

>  

> sl  

>

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

> The MB Coupes Website!

> W126 SEC Mailing List

> Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.

Hi looks like you have gotten some great advice from other members. My 2 
cents if I may. I have shown cars competitively for 30 years and I'll 
share a top secret :)  great cleaner for almost any surface on your car 
except fabric or leather. It is the product called Scrubbing Bubbles 
bathroom cleaner. It is amazing stuff and has never damaged any part of 
any car that I have used it on. My cars range from 1936 up to my 90 SEC 
and I will completely detail the entire car including engine, engine 
bay, wheels, white wall tires,  wheel wells, frame, front end parts etc. 
It removes grease very well and is easy to clean off. The best part is 
that if you get it on areas that you can not reach, it does not leave a 
residue. I even clean the bugs off the front of my wife's new minivan 
after trips so I know it does not affect the newest paints. I would 
never let any product sit on a paint job of any vintage but I have never 
had a problem with a little over spray sitting on the paint

On aluminum, I  use Brasso the brass cleaner. It will remove the coating 
which is an anodizing process but if it looks bad anyway it's not a big 
deal. The down side is that you will have to clean it again in several 
months as the shine will wear off more quickly but it easy to re-clean. 
Brasso will leave a residue if you don't clean it off completely.

I get strange looks at car shows with my can of Scrubbing Bubbles but I 
took pick of the show in the Houston AutoRama by Super Chevy Magazine in 
2005 and the only products I used were Meguiar's polish , ArmorAll and 
my Scrubbing Bubbles. Oh, and elbow grease. Good luck.