Reddit reviews Permatex 80190 SaferScraper, 2 Refillable Blades
We found 2 Reddit comments about Permatex 80190 SaferScraper, 2 Refillable Blades. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Hard plastic double-edged razor blade is a safer alternative to metal razor bladesIdeal for removing decals, bugs, tar and paint without scratching or harming the body paint underneathSafely removes gaskets from a plastic or aluminum flangeDurable holder designed to fit standard metal razor blades if the job requires itSuggested Applications: Removes solvent-based sealants, baked-on gaskets, weatherstrip adhesive, dried oil, grease, gum, tar, bugs, decals, and other unwanted substances from appearance areas
Plastic scrapers are the way to go. I used these and these when I did the head gaskets in my Lumina. They get chewed up pretty quickly, but the chisel-type ones can be renewed with a file or grinder, and the scraper one has replaceable blades. Also some CRC Gasket Remover spray and some acetone for the final cleaning will come in handy.
I'm pretty sure your engine has an aluminum block, so definitely try to make sure it's not warped. Mine had a steel block and aluminum heads, plus it didn't overheat, so I bought remanufactured heads from Amazon and took what I felt was the acceptable risk of not having a professional check the block. With an aluminum head and the overheating, I don't think I would be comfortable doing the same.
Something else to consider: your car is pretty old and stuff is probably going to break. No offense meant, just sayin'. I had that issue with my Lumina. The heat shield studs on the exhaust manifold wrung off, with pretty much no hope of drilling them out, so I had to buy a new one. I had to remove the alternator and the bracket broke, then I cracked a couple bolt holes on both the upper and lower intakes. That was due to a crappy torque wrench, which I replaced with a better one before I put on the new manifolds. Factoring in for new tools, I figured I could do the job myself for $1200 or less, but ended up costing almost $1800. By the time I paid my regular mechanic to find the exhaust leak I still had (rear manifold wasn't torqued down to the cyinder head tight enough - damned crappy torque wrench again) I might have saved a couple hundred dollars over what the shop quoted me for the whole repair. I did get some shiny new parts and tools plus a whole lot of valuable experience out of it, so it was worth it.
Just out of curiosity, I checked on remanufactured heads for the b20b, and holy crap are they expensive. You can take your head to a machine shop and have them check it out. It might be fine, or just need the mating surface machined. If it needs rebuilt they'll quote you a price, and you can decide from there if it would be better to snag one off of eBay.
I have goo gone, etc., but I'm afraid that a razor blade will scratch the glass. I think I'll first try with a plastic scraper like this:
http://amzn.com/B005DVHV0S
Thanks for the tips!