I just purchased my first S2K after owning various Hondas (Integra, Civic, Prelude). I purchased the car near the coast. There is no visual rust anywhere on the body but there is some corrosion. I was originally from up north but this was a cali/carolina car. I am used to salt but I have never tried to remove it from the engine.

I pointed out some spots I would like to clean, and some parts I would be willing to replace to make it look cleaner (Shock washers). What would you guys do to clean this crap up?

A body guy I know said it could also be engine degreaser.

 

This is my preferred method. Go buy some Foamy Engine Brite, and some Armorall Foamy Tire shine.

On a cold engine that is off:
Stuff a towel into the intake cowl.
Spray water (low pressure) onto the engine bay.
Spray Famy Engine Brite everywhere.
Let soak per the directions (5 min I think) - take a brush and lightly scrub caked on areas.
Rinse with low pressure water.
Spray Foamy Armorall Tire Shine everywhere.
Remove the towel from the intake cowl.
Run engine for 20 min to bake on the shine and dry the water.
Use the towel to mop up and wipe down the engine.

 

For rusty stuff like the tops of the shocks, some mild steel wool will fix that up nicely. You can wipe them down with WD-40 when finished to keep them rust-free for a while. For the oxidized bare aluminum, try some metal polish. Mother's, Wenol, Autosol, Flitz, there are a bunch of them.

For cleaning the engine bay in general, Saki GT and I use more or less the same procedure. He and I use different chemicals, but the process is the same, and works well.

 

Here is a good write up of the products/procedures involved in cleaning and detailing the engine compartment.

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=278999