I'm about to do a headgasket job on my 93 945 turbo. The car has made it to 290,000 miles on the original gasket, and the car is still very much drive-able; even though my coolant has quite a lot of oil in it, I'm getting exactly the same performance and mpg as I did when I bought the car 12 years ago with, with 200k fewer miles on it! I must say I find this a testament to the incredible engineering of these cars. But of course, I can't put off this necessary repair for much longer.

The head has had a few valve adjustments over the years, and the engine runs smooth as silk. For this reason, I'd rather leave the head alone and just clean up the gasket surface so I can get everything put back together as quickly as possible. Does anyone have any tips for doing this well and with basic tools? I was thinking of perhaps using a soft wire brush with a drill, and maybe some steel wool to finish things. My main concern is of course getting particles/dirt/grit stuck all over the oily head, and I don't have too many thorough cleaning options available, since this will be primarily an 'on the street' job; no driveway or garage available, unfortunately...

Any tips or shared experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!