Updating and cleaning

[AnahRabekka1501]

I’m restoring and modernizing my 1989 Ranger XLT Supercab, and under the hood looks like trash. Old, worn wires, dirt, caked mud, broken pieces, it has me worried. A few years ago the block busted in it so they swapped the motor in it with another ‘89 Ranger, all the same, and there was a hose that they didn’t hook up. My friend who installed it says it’s not necessary, but it wouldn’t be there if that was the case, right? It’s next to the battery and all that is left is a vertical hose opening. Aside from that, there is another piece, a plastic what looks like air intake, running beside the radiation that is broken and hanging down, how important is that piece and what can I do to replace it?
Aside from that, how to I clean up all the old, crusty wires, and seal off the motor bay from the elements?

 

[tomw]

The disconnected hose could be the 'stove' that directs intake air to route from the 'stove' around the exhaust manifold when ambient temperature is low.
The air intake duct by the radiator can be replaced with a similar part from a 'recycler', or junkyard taken from a similar vehicle.
Old crusty wires are fine as long as the insulation is intact, and the wire & terminals not corroded.
You cannot protect the engine bay from the elements, except direct rain, as it is open at the front and bottom. You can clean the parts using detergents such as "Gunk Engine Brite", which you spray on and hose off after allowing the chemicals to react. The engine will not run better, fuel mpg will stay the same, but the colors will be more visible.
You do run the risk of damaging components and removing the lube from bearings on things such as alternators and idler pulleys. Ignition components have to be protected from direct high pressure washing, or they can be damaged.
tom