Plan for a whole nice day.
First remove all items easily removed. MAF pipe, coolant reservoir, windshield wiper reservoir, air filter, charcoal canister, maybe even the battery, air filter or factory air box. Keep it simple. Lay them out on a table for later.
Then put a half cup of concentrated dawn dish washing detergent (smells good, works great) in a good garden type spray bottle and slowly fill the bottle with water so it doesn't suds up. Then spray the motor down with a heavy stream from the spray bottle, focusing on the real ugly down low areas.
Take a 2 inch round paint brush and tape it to a stick or something to give it a long handle. Use this to get down low and brush and suds up the nasty spots. Dip it in a coffee can filled with water/detergent and repeat until you are happy. While it's still wet and soapy, take some soapy scotch-brite and lightly scrub down the pipes, valve covers, plenum, radiator hoses, or anything else you can get to.
Then rinse the motor with fine heavy pressure from the hose. I cut the end off a section of hose and clamp a vise-grip on it to provide a thin heavy pressure stream of water.
Repeat, if not satisfied.
Then use the leaf blower to dry it. Or compressed air. But I like the leaf blower.
Most items can get wet and not be a problem. I never cover anything when I do this. I remove the breathers from the valve covers and just put a small piece of duct tape over the hole.
Paint touch-up as you wish. Armor-All as you wish, polish what you wish.
Clean what you removed earlier on the table and reinstall.
Let the engine dry real nice before you start it.
I need to break out the stuff in the yard since the better weather is here and I still need to install the GNX gauges I have. So much to do... Who wants to help I will pay in alcohol, lol
