so, i started a year ago taking apart my engine , just as a learning experience.
95 gt.
goal was to take the heads off and put it all back together. the block is staying in the car.
i am at the point where i can start putting it back together. i have the driver side head off.
i cleaned the pistons, which had in my opinion a lot of crud built up on them (see pic below).
now i need to clean the deck. lets say i get any noticeable bits off using a scraper of some sort, how 'clean' does the deck need to be to avoid problems later?
do i need to use some type of solvent to remove any traces of anything? i mean, does this deck need to be shiny or just smooth?

i was chit chatting with some guy who may or may not have known what he was talking about and expressed how super critical it was that the deck be perfectly clean, and he mentioned some type of plastic brush drill attachment thing that would aid in the effort of cleaning the deck. anybody know what he may have been talking about?

below is a before and after of the piston cleaning. not the same two pistons, but they were all pretty much in the same shape before the cleaning. if anybody sees anything strange, please let me know. assume i know nothing about what im doing, because i dont.
on the cleaned piston, theres some staining that just doesnt seem to want to come off. would i be wasting my time trying to get it off? im guessing yes. but im **** and obsessive and i may try to get it off anyway.

also, should i expect to get the deck as clean as i got the pistons?

feel free to suggest tools, methods, etc i should be using for best results.

lastly, if theres something i should/need to do at this stage, please let me know. all i know at this point is i need to clean the deck. once i get the deck clean, i will start to work on cleaning the head. (i may start a thread for that before the deck is actually cleaned, just so i can do both at once).

thanks in advance for any help!

 

That piston looks fine to me.
Decks as well as head surfaces need to be very clean.
3M sells a neat clening tool for that based on scotchbrite.
Go to a GOOD auto supply store and tell them what your doing and they can set you up with what you need...