Engine/Undercarriage Cleaning - Shifter Wobble Fix

My buddy came over yesterday and we were looking at the 4Runner. Since he was a Toyota mechanic back in the day we were really diving down into the motor and undercarriage. When I bought it I was just looking for leaks so I guess I overlooked all the road grime. 

First, I tightened up the throttle cables. There was quite a bit of play in the accelerator, probably attributing to the sluggish feel. Haven't drove it yet but just testing it in the driveway it feels much better. 

Then I started removing the failing hood insulation. Seems to be some debate across the forums on the purpose of the insulation but the state of mine is pretty rough and would probably cause more harm than good...in the trashcan it goes. Once that was out of the way... some simple green and a good scrub on the hood and it looked fantastic. 

Moving to the motor, I really wanted to prevent any issues since this vehicle is older. I disconnected the negative battery cable and used plastic grocery bags to cover the alternator, fuse box, battery, mass air flow, and cruise control. Using the shower setting, I gave it a good soak then covered it in Simple Green. After a good scrub I then repeated the process. After about 3 times I was happy with it. Using a air compressor I dried it the best I could then moved to the undercarriage. I was able to clean up the steering and transmission doing the same process of shower, Simple Green, and scrubbing.

I found some engine shine in my stash so I gave everything a good hit of that. Reconnected the battery and removed all the plastic bags and gave everything that was covered a scrub with a nylon bush to clean them up a bit. I started her up to let it dry everything by idling. 

With that out the way, I really wanted to wash and polish. There were a lot of scuffs and scratches I wanted to try to buff out. Foam cannon, scrub, and dry. Broke out the buffer and went to work and...WOW. This is 23 year old paint. I cant believe how great it turned out. Also cleaned all the door hinges and gave everything some WD40 to keep them moving freely. After some tire shine and trim restore I called it a day. 

Well, almost called it a day. My shifter bushings came in so I wanted to get those in. Pretty quick job, took the chance to clean up everything and re lube it. Old bushing were in pieces in the rubber boot. If I had to do it again, and I assume I will, I might pick up some nylon washers or something more durable instead of the soft plastic.