I am restoring a 68 coupe and I need to clean some parts (ie: brackets and such) that get grimey and rusty due to 36 years of driving. What is the best method of removing the dirt and grime so I can give them a fresh coat of rust proof paint?

 

Media or sand blast...

 

Bought a cheap blasting cabinet for about 300 bucks, best $ I ever spent. (Already had a 80G, 6.5hp 2 stage) Refinishing is so much easier you find yourself doing it to everything, even stuff in the house. Whether blasting or sanding, just kind of degrease the stuff first or it will really mess up the media. Even if you are going to bring it somewhere, I would do that first.

 

You could also use a wire brush on a drill. Not as good, but it works.

 

I dip all my parts in NAPA carb cleaner...3.5 gallon bucket is like 50.00 last forever.. this cleans all grime off..be careful on aluminum parts as it will make them disappear..I kid you not....

 

I would go for sand blast take the stuff to a shop their usually pretty inexpensive the one by me charges like $2 part per blasting. They have a huge sandblaster that has a rotating table and everything. Takes about 15 min. As for oily parts sand blaster and media blasters don't work that well. You'll need to soak them and clean them b4 you can blast them.