Cleaning engine bay...

I just bought an '85 Mustang GT 5.0 with the 302 HO Alum block, Holly 4-barrel and a 5-speed. It has a leak I am trying to pin-point, plus it is just generally dirty, so I need to seriously clean this engine bay.

Main concerns are: I have never worked in a bay this old, all the rest I have worked on are from 2010 and newer. What are my concerns here? I will likely only use my fire-hose, and not PW, and I know to cover the distributor and all, but anything else?

Also, i remember hearing that Simple Green is really bad for Aluminum, does anybody know 100% for sure if Zep Citrus or Purple are safe on aluminum blocks? If not, what product should I look into buying?

Thanks!

 

Zep citrus and/or steam!

 

:ditto:​

 

Griots engine degreaser worked great for me. Simple green can hurt it.

 

Gl. I owned that exact car new back in 85. Everything on that car broke at least once or twice. I hope you have better luck with it than I did back then.

 

Junkman's Engine Detailing How To Video - YouTube

might give you some ideas

 

I use my steamer cause I have restrictions through my HOA on cleaning engines.

 

Well, it has been well cared for, and a good friend of mine put a lot of money into it already and it has been bullet proof for him for over 5 years driving 300+ miles DAILY and the only thing to ever break was the alternator last year, I just replaced it and it is running STRONG!! This is the main reason I bought it, it has been proven dependable for him.

Thank you all for your replies! I will have to go buy MOAR Zep Citrus, lmao, and I guess it is time to finally pull the trigger on at least some kind of steamer now that I have this thing! hahaha!!

 

i'm sure my wagner 915 from lowes doesn't compare to a unit like the vx5500 but for right around $100 it works pretty decent for doing the basics. Might be worth looking at if you're on a tighter budget like myself.