I just cleaned and painted my 250ci. I had it out of the donor truck and on an engine stand, so it was easy to get in all the "corners". I used a putty knife, wire brush, then a stiff bristle brush to scrape off any clumps of oil and grease. I even spread some loose dirt onto some of the really greasy areas so that the dirt + grease makes it clump up. Then the wire brush can knock it off in clumps instead of smear it around. Lastly, I used a toothbrush and kerosene in a spray bottle followed by a Dawn dish detergent wash and clean water rinse.
You can see what things looked like.
Before cleaning #1 Before cleaning #2 Clean but some old engine paint remains. After a little paint.
