Paint Prep Problem...

[djmtsu]

A few years ago, my master cylinder went bad. It leaked brake fluid over the driver side frame rail. I decided to leave it until I replace the engine.

I recently pulled the engine a while ago, but before I put the replacement back in I decided to try to clean up the paint where the brake fluid leaked. So, I scraped the loose paint from the rail - this paint was loose from the battery compartment to the firewall.

After unbolting and moving the wiring and hoses far enough that I can get a spray paint into the damaged area, I am almost ready to repaint.

Problem is that the rail is now bare metal (no rust) in most places, but because I have not pulled and stripped all of the area, there are sections near and on the rail where there is still grease and the remainder of the paint that was not loosened by the brake fluid.

Question:

What chemical can I use to clean the rail in preparation for priming/painting? WD-40 would certainly get the grease off, but wouldn’t leave the surface unpaintable. Any suggestions for a cleaner that won’t remove more paint?

[BLKTOPTRVL]

A few years ago, my master cylinder went bad. It leaked brake fluid over the driver side frame rail. I decided to leave it until I replace the engine.

I recently pulled the engine a while ago, but before I put the replacement back in I decided to try to clean up the paint where the brake fluid leaked. So, I scraped the loose paint from the rail - this paint was loose from the battery compartment to the firewall.

After unbolting and moving the wiring and hoses far enough that I can get a spray paint into the damaged area, I am almost ready to repaint.

Problem is that the rail is now bare metal (no rust) in most places, but because I have not pulled and stripped all of the area, there are sections near and on the rail where there is still grease and the remainder of the paint that was not loosened by the brake fluid.

Question:

What chemical can I use to clean the rail in preparation for priming/painting? WD-40 would certainly get the grease off, but wouldn’t leave the surface unpaintable. Any suggestions for a cleaner that won’t remove more paint?