I have a set of cylinder heads that I am prepping for my next motor and car and I want to pay for as little as possible to a machine shop. I am just looking for what works as a good hot tank solution so I can soak these and start my port matching and polishing. Ive heard deisel fuel works....?. I want them to be like bare metal.

 

Diesel works.
I use mineral spirits.

Just soaking them probably won't do the trick no matter what you use though.

For really bad heads I hook up my pressure washer to the hot-water heater and blast them really good with soapy degreaser before putting them in mineral spirits.
Soak them then scrub them, then hit the bad spots with carb-cleaner, then soak again.
If you get some really bad spots that won't dissolve away, then use a wire-wheel.
Be sure to dry them and lube them immediately after cleaning.

 

Thanks, kinda figured some elbow grease would be involved.

 

I have found out that if you heat a part up anyway possible sometimes even bright sunlight. Then spray it good with some name brand oven cleaner works real well. Just rinse it off real good and dry it.

 

i had a 5 galloonb bucket of berrymans chem dip cleaner. that stuff will take off anything after soaking all night. just remember it will eat all plastic or rubber.

 

A decent machine shop won't charge you much. They will want to clean them their way if they machine the heads.

 

yeah i was thinking of having them hot tanked. Im doing the port work on them myself and Im just trying to do things as cheaply as possible. final machining will be done my a shop, valve job and decking them flat again if needed.