what should I use to clean the engine bay?

[five&dime]

Yes that will work^ But be very careful as some wheel cleaners are acidic and will damage aluminum i.e. valve covers etc.

I would just use simple green and let it sit for a bit. Then scrub away. It will take a while but short cuts generally aren't a good idea.

[motorman7]

So would you just use that for the motor or the walls and hood as well?

Not on the walls and hood, motor only. I would be concerned about the effects of the spray on the paint of the engine walls and hood. I actually used Maguires cleaner wax to clean the engine walls and under the hood. It worked great.

[five&dime]

The more and more I think of it, the more I think you should just stick with engine degreaser and simple green. Just go through the process a few times. I worry that some of the more harsh chemicals will do more harm such as lifting old paint that may be flaking and possibly damaging any older aluminum parts etc.

You can't expect 33 years of dirt and grease to just come out looking like new. Take it slow and clean up/paint parts as you go.

It will turn into domino's. Once you get a few parts looking like new, you will realize how dirty the rest is and keep going until the whole thing looks new

That's what I did with the dime

Edited April 30, 2009 by five&dime

[golgo13]

Castrol Super Clean

[Tim 76' 280Z]

Castrol Super Clean

I used that stuff on my ford pickup to get it ready to sale. It worked really good but left a strange film behind. Used soap and water to get it perfect.

[beandip]

Much depends on how greasy the project is. For real greasy areas I use Gunk foaming cleaner . Spray it on and then use a old paint brush and work it into the offending areas. Let soak for 10 min or so and hose it off. If the area is really bad do it again. On the aluminum I use a spray mag wheel cleaner on the castings, like bell housing and water pump area on the head also if the valve cover is not polished. It will dull a polished aluminum surface. Just spray it on and let it work and wash it off. It will brighten the cast parts. Simple green the whole engine and inner fenders and if you work it in around the brake lines and like areas with a paint brush then before it drys wash it off with the hose. all will come vary clean. I then use the same wax on the inner fenders and firewall and hood as I use on the rest of the Z. Either Adams or Meguiar's NXT tech wax. Like was stated , from now on it will be easy to keep up. I wipe down my engine bay and hood each time I wash the Z. It only takes about 10 min. and the car is ready for a show. Well mostly. A project like I just outlined should take only a couple of hours at most. I recommend POR on any bare steel, rusted or not. Important! Follow the directions for prep using POR or it will peal right off. Under coat is for under the car and you will be sorry if you use it in the engine bay if and when you want to detail it in the future. Plus it does trap moisture like was stated.