Alright, so I've got a lot of body and under the truck work done on my 78 F-250 but now I need to start under the hood except it's filthy and I'd like to clean it up first. I was just going to power wash it at the local car wash but someone told me not to. What's your guys process on cleaning up and depressing your engine?

 

If the engine is still in I would take some Simple Green and spray the engine compartment down completely and then pressure wash it.
If you can let the Simple Green soak in for a little bit, that's even better.
If this is a driver or your daily driver, be sure to protect the distributor to keep water from getting in it.

 

The "someone" is prolly someone who thinks these rigs are full of electronics where the slightest bit of water or condensation can create havoc on sensors and connectors.

Before pressure washing apply dielectric grease in all electrical plugs to keep out moisture.

Then remove the air cleaner and wrap the carburetor securely with a plastic bag. Also wrap the distributor. In fact, try wrapping it tightly with aluminum foil since it will conform to the weird shape and stay in place... spraying water on a warm engine can condense water inside the distributor cap and cause crossfires and misfires.

Simple Green, engine brushes, metal and non-metallic scrapers, etc....

 

I went out and bought some Simple Green and put it to use and it came out pretty good considering how thick all that grease was. But before I started my valve covers were blue and after there like a grayish white color. Any ideas why?

 

Either ya let the Simple Green or it wasn't rinsed thoroughly.

Here's a tip.. take some GoJo hand cleaner on a rag and wipe off the residue. Gojo contains lanolin and it sort of a moisturizer so it restores the lustre on dry rubber components like hoses and plug wires... cleans off grease marks and other residues. Try it.

Here is a helpful thread: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ing-101-a.html