So what do people do to clean this up without gouging the block surface? Parts of the head gasket are stuck to mine as well as the heads (which I will let the machine shop deal with). 

 

Also, how the hell does one get those HLA's out of their bores? 

razer blade helps a lot to clean it up, thats what we use in our shop. 

 

prwa

I used a brass pipe fitting for the big stuff, usually with WD-40. Then a good scrubbing with a maroon 360 grit scotch brite pad for the rest.

 

Keep in mind I have only done one engine this way so others may say differently, but that is what I did on an EJ22 

 

Good luck!

scrape it off with a razor. the blade will develop a curl that will prevent it fro gouging, you can scrape with the blade perpendicular to the deck. polish off with scotch brite if you so desire. rinse down with wd40