I stripped my donor over the weekend so I now have a gutted wreck on my drive waiting to be collected and a boat load of mechanical goodies in the
garage waitng to be cleaned.
The question is what is the best stuff to use to clean off the inch thick shite covering every component?
Parafin, petrol, white spirit, Jizer, Gunk, gunpowder, or a dangerous cocktail of all of the above.
I have a pressure washer but I dont think blasting Mr Ford's finest type 9 with it is such a good idea.
Your answers on a postcard please. 
A dangerous coctail of all the above sounds like the most fun...
Seriously though, I've been using parafin which shifts a lot of stuff but not the stuff that's seemingly welded on and it leaves a greasy
surface...
For anywhere that oil runs, dont use anything leaving a sheen. Petrol is what I use and seems to be fine.
Other people may have different ideas, but what the heck.
Rich.
petrols ok but dont set fire to the work shop.
thinners works quite well
Yep, you gotta remember not to have a fag on the go while using these things... 
Not a problem for moi. Never touched the damn things.
I've used my local parts factors "Engine cleaner" comes in a 5litre can and shifts almost anything. It has petrol in it according to the warning sticker..
dont waste too much time doing this, just get it to a cleanish state, do not paint yet as everything will be scratched when you are setting up engine
mounts lining up the back axle etc, im now at the stage where all the chassis is totally made and everything fits, ive dismantled evrything and am now
going to paint the chassis, this is when i suggest you wait to fully clean and paint the components.
The bottom of my painted gearbox is totally scraped away, so i will have to repaint!!
Daren...
This is OT, but adjacent to shite removal.
My dear daughter cleaned off London pigeon shite from her in-laws otherwise shiny Astra. Her intentions were undoubtedly good; unfortunately she knows
bu**er all about cars, and used a combination of Flash floor cleaner and a kitchen scourer!!
So Dad + son-in-law + 2 pints T-cut + extensive elbow grease = restored shine, and a few brownie points.
What a wallie!!
The technique I use is
1.go to garden centre and buy large plant tray with at least 1 inch sides (I've got one that's about 1 metre by 500mm, cost £9 well worth it)
2.Line tray with newspaper
3.Fill dishwasher detergent bottle with paraffin
4.Get a paintbrush and shorten the bristles by half
5.Place component in tray and squirt paraffin over it, work in with the brush, squeeze harder to get jet to clean out awkward cavities. Be generous
with the paraffin. When the bottle is empty, take the componet out and pour the paraffin back into a suitable container, then use it to refill the
squeezy bottle. The paraffin can be reused many times, most of the yukky stuff will stay in the tray to be captured by the newspaper which can then be
lifted out and binned or burnt.
John
My method is squirt on engine cleaner,have a cup of tea and a fag,attack it with your pressure washer,bingo looks like new! 
i cleaned all my parts with a can of gunk, then blast the shyte out of it all with a pressure washer. No residue and really squeaky clean dishes
auntie!
atb
steve
Paul, both of the last two methods are spot on!
Gunk is excellent but expensive,parts cleaner as mentioned is very good and better value,dont buy TFR ( traffic film remover ) as it is useless for
this job.
I used to clean 2 or 3 engines and boxes a day using this method,(used to be have a car breakers yard and garage business).
It is the quickest method and as long as you drain the box before and after washing you will not have any water left inside.
About four minutes it would take me, quicker if a delivery driver was waiting.
Aluminium spray cans and satin black on steel give an as new recon look.
Dean c.
Thanks for all of the replies mateys. I'm off to combine all of your suggestions and pump parafin through my pressure washer and attack any stubborn
remains with a sawn off flick handled bristle brush.
I'll let you know how I get on if I don't dissapear in a large fireball.
Cheers,
Pyroman
I tried the Conrodkid's method, trouble is I hate tea and the fag made me cough.
John
try coffee or beer,they take the same amount of time but dont give the same degree of satisfaction
Hi, I forgot to mention leave the fag out on safety grounds. Although in America I think a fag means something different,so whatever you fancy
mate!
Dean c.
After you've managed to get the muck off the parts using petrol, parafin and pressure washer etc, how do you then manage to get the resulting crap off your patio without your wife nagging?
quote:
After you've managed to get the muck off the parts using petrol, parafin and pressure washer etc, how do you then manage to get the resulting crap off your patio without your wife nagging?