Ok.. so I got my clutch cover all the way off... and the gasket that was there is.. or rather was, about as brittle as hard plastic. It didnt bend, it just snapped in tons of places. Thankfully, most of it came off on the cover-side of the gasket (not adhering to the crankcase), but the problem is that most of it is acting like its superglued on there. I peeled it away in about 100 pieces... but the actual gasket contact surface, where it gets sandwiched between the cover and case, is covered in old gasket that wont come off.

MY question is: is it safe to use steel wool to remove it? Is there some kind of solvent that I can use to un-bind it from the metal? Should I get one of those soft cloth polishing bits for my dremel and just slowly abrade it away (I doubt one of those could mar the metal underneath)... anything I can do that wont damage the metal surface.

Just use a razor blade or sharp edged scraper. It takes time but it can be done without gougeing the surface.
Then you can use steel wool or an abrasive cloth to finish cleaning up the case.
When you install the new gasket, DO NOT PUT SEALER on the oil passage by the crank seal.
The oil for the counterbalancer bearings runs through the gasket holes and through the groove in the case. It's easy to plug it up with sealer.
It's even more critical on the flywheel side.

When I did mine I ended up taking a grinder with with a scotch brite pad to get it off, I would have been scraping for 5+ hours with a razor blade.  I then took a very small amount of silicone and ran around the gasket, which isnt reccomended by Bob, and I would listen to him, he's had his motor apart alot more then I have.

Bob, could you illustrate what you are saying about the gasket, I do better with pictures?  I siliconed that side up and am a little concerned now.

Quote from: sprint_9When I did mine I ended up taking a grinder with with a scotch brite pad to get it off, I would have been scraping for 5+ hours with a razor blade.  I then took a very small amount of silicone and ran around the gasket, which isnt reccomended by Bob, and I would listen to him, he's had his motor apart alot more then I have.

Bob, could you illustrate what you are saying about the gasket, I do better with pictures?  I siliconed that side up and am a little concerned now.

Those pads work really well but be careful to not remove too much material.  Those pads will take off the metal and could make for an uneven gasket/mating surface.  Just be careful if you go this route.

About 20 years ago I bought a gasket scaper. Best darn investment ever for a toolkit. It is like a wide, flat chisel and it is designed to scrape gaskets off engine cases and covers. You still need to be careful on soft aluminum, but you should buy one. Any good car parts place should have them.

there is a spray on compound to soften and ease gasket removal, never used it, but spose to work

I'm unable to post pics. But there are 2 areas to be aware of.
1 on each side case.  On the clutch side, you can easily see the oil passage just under the crankshaft seal area. The 2 longer bolts that go under the ignition plate go into this area.
On the flywheel side it is VERY easy to plug the passage. There is a small groove milled into the edge of the case where the gaskets sits. The oil goes through a hole in the gasket into the groove then back into another hole and another groove. And finally into the CB bearing.
Just a little sealer plugging up the groove will cause bearing failure.
I use Permatex aviation gasket sealer (liquid applied by brush in lid) to the case side only. That way I can pull the cases without damaging the gasket the next time I work on the motor. Never had a problem with leaks.

There are aerosol based products available for removing hardened gaskets. Despite being intended for professional automotive use we use them all the time at work on pump and pipework applications. They do take all the hard work, time and risks associated with scraping surfaces away and wont damage surrounding paintwork. It sprays on like a thick shaving foam but has a very solvant like smell, leave it for 10 mins and the gasket will have softened to the extent you can simply scrape it off with a blunt tool, I would suggest something non metalic to aviod scraping the mating faces. As it used mainly by the trade I would suggest trying a motor factor to obtain some.

Try this link

http://www.globaltoolsupply.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/p-GTS-P1-3271.html?E+scstore