What can I use to clean caked on oily grime?
 

I have a ton of black, oily crud from the oil filter being changed and not cleaned up from the drips. 30 years of road debris mixed with oil makes for a mess.

What can I use to clean all of this crud? Keep in mind I'm doing this from my 2 car garage... so I don't have access to take this to a professional restoration shop to have the body stripped and sand blasted.

Can I use a high pressure water cleaner? or some chemical mix with a toothbrush? Or a combination of the 2 with some high pressure air?

Thanks!

Try aerosol brake cleaner

I use kerosene in a spray bottle and a brush. rinse with water between scrubbings. Brake cleaner will take off the paint

Will a toothbrush work? I'm worried brake cleaner would be too corrosive. Any suggestion on how to get to the hard to reach areas?

Is it safe to just hit it with a high pressure washer?

Original Gunk

be careful w/ brake cleaner. I use Gunk or Simple Green

Elbow grease. A few plastic scrapers and I like the original gunk too. I also have one of the home steam cleaners and it's the bomb for final clean and it get all the crap out of the nooks and crannies.

yes i usually use a toothbrush. brake cleaner is not only too corrosive but it evaporates right away. it works great for final cleaning of bare metal surfaces but anything else there are better options

Post a photo please.
Learn to post photos for all your questions.
You will get better answers.

Simple Green is a favorite here.
You can get a gallon of concentrate (lasts for years) for $10 off Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Green-Industrial-Degreaser-Concentrated/dp/B01MAYGHY5

I used diesel on mine, on a bunch of old towels. it worked pretty good.

Orange oil based tar remover Karnak you can buy a spray bottle at your local Home Depot lowes where they sell the roofing materials works like magic

I've had good luck with Simple Green and Pinesol (both non-diluted - apply straight, soak, scrub with a brush, rinse away with water, repeat).

Spray-on engine degreaser is also effective, but I always seem to use a lot more of this than Simple Green or Pinesol.

I recently removed the rear bumper from my 77 targa to replace the oil lines and exhaust. A leaking oil tank sending unit allowed dirt and oil to accumulate everywhere- especially inside the valence and bumper. I used a plastic scraper (putty knife) with Purple Power cleaner. I love the PP cleaner but you must be careful because it contains lye. I buy it in gallon containers from Walmart.

I cleaned 48 years of thick, nasty funk on my transmission to a sparkly, shiny, like new standard with paint thinner and a toothbrush. Worked very well.

ok... whatever you want. SmileWavy
https://s12.postimg.org/c41fcjdgd/IMG_1506.jpg

Cleaning Grime
 

I have found WD-40 to work pretty good. Its a penetrant oil that can dissolve crud -- also its not harsh on anything. I've even used it to clean grime bits off of my exterior paint.

Whoa there! Reminds me of my 70 911T that had a leaking rear main for a long time. I bought a cheap power pressure washer from Harbor Freight, and that was just the ticket to get all the thick caked on crud off my engine, trans, and engine compartment. I could have eaten off that trans when I was done. Be really careful NOT to hit any painted areas that you care about with the stream (or any body parts you value). I used plain cold water with no cleaners added. Cleaner additives may have helped.

My only complaints about the power washer was that:

1) You're going to get very wet
2) All of that crud comes off in chips that get scattered everywhere, then they were stuck to my driveway -- I should have used a big tarp to protect it.
3) Wear eye protection & clothing you won't mind discarding

For finishing touches I used WD-40 & a part brush (toothbrush is OK too).

Funny about the picture.
OP said the oil filter, so I was wondering how much crud we were really talking about back in the engine bay.
I've never looked back there. Do you think that's from oil filter dribblings, or from leaking oil pipes?

Paint thinner is the best in my opinion…………..and I've tried them all over the years.

When i use a pressure washer, i get an old piece of carpet and lay it under the car. It collects the greasy bits that fly off and i throw it away later. I pre treat with a spray bottle of paint thinner or diesel fuel. Safety glasses and a tyvec throwaway suit and rubber gloves.