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I have used rubbing alcohol for that purpose. Set the chassis on its side or at a slant, spritz a bit from a spray bottle and work with a soft rag or children's toothbrush as needed, and keep going until it runs clear.
This can clean up everyday gunk (smoke, cooking grease), but won't remove corrosion, of course.
Can't guarantee what might happen to lettering on boards, but that would be easy enough to test with a Q-tip dabbed in alcohol.
I know boatanchor guys who run their grubby chassis through a dishwasher, but I would not, repeat NOT recommend that under any circumstances.
If your chassis looks good after cleaning but still seems a little stinky, give it a day or two. I recently finished a Hallicrafters SX-28 that was coated in decades of cigar tar. It seemed faintly smelly after the initial cleaning, but that quickly dissipated.
If patient cleaning with alcohol doesn't get rid of the tar and stink, you can step up to stronger solvents. I have washed a couple of truly awful chassis with lacquer thinner, believe it or not, and it didn't seem to harm anything.
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