I did a side by side test with Dawn and Coke on rusted t-rods and posted some pictures of the test in the forum someplace.
They both work well.. I liked the Dawn a little better. Some elbow grease is still required but I was really surprised how well they both worked. I just put the parts in the sink after a couple days of soaking and did them like the dishes with a nylon pot scrubber.
I use a brass golf club groove brush to clean threads.
I haven't tried the foil yet.. I have some rims to clean on an Acro so maybe I'll do a little foil cleaning photo essay. ;)