Careful with the carburetor parts dip. That stuff is a super-hot solvent, extremely corrosive, so wear acid-resistant rubber gloves and ESPECIALLY goggles to protect your eyes. My friend and I used to have parts dip parties, putting our alloy components into the dip basket and marveling at the jewel-like results. I can't recall, but I don't think it did any damage to the alloy finish.
I don't use the stuff anymore. Instead I've found using Simple Green full strength does a great job cutting through the gunk, even better than kerosene. Plus it's water soluble. So that makes two votes for Simple Green. Just don't soak the parts in it for extended periods: there's quite a debate on the web about whether Simple Green compromises components, particularly chains.
Anyway, that's my two cents.
Bill Silverman
Pasadena, CA, USA