I've used Berryman's B-33 and it's better than others I've used (and I've tried LOTS of others). For the waxy gooey stuff (if your car still has that in the engine bay) you can use wd-40 or kerosene. To shine things up, try using #0000 steel wool. Be aware that using steel wool on the items that are cadmium plated will remove the plating and they will be yellow/gold colored no longer. Any aluminum parts you clean this way, I would advise to go back over them with some wax or something that will protect them or they will begin to oxidize. Steel wool works great on the coolant filler neck and all the a/c lines. It'll shine them up really nice. Go to a dollar store and get a good supply of cheap toothbrushes too. if you heat the part after the bristles with a lighter or something you can make "custom shaped" ones for various nooks and crannies. A bottle brush and a nipple brush (like for baby bottles) also work well for tight areas. Q-tips work great for areas a brush won't fit into. Home Depot carries a citrus cleaner/degreaser, it's orange colored, and works REALLY well, I venture to say it's even better than simple green. I put alot of the intake clamps, nuts, bolts, and other stuff that was merely dusty (not oily/greasy) in the dishwasher. Use "delicate" or it'll blast the paint off.

Before you start, make sure your electrical connectors are snugly fastened together, and protect the distributor cap.

Oh, and add to all that LOTS of elbow grease and patience.

have fun!