Re the degreasant job.....patience is key just get the crud off first, on mine I used a dremmel and grindstones to the inaccessable bits.
carbonized piston crown......use a pen knife to get the worst off then used a detail sander with a fine grade paper to finish off back to aluminium.....best mask off the con rod up to gudgeon pin as you do not want debris/abrasive getting in there
