<I always try to keep my engine compartment clean, because I hate working on a
car and have to deal with falling crud.>

I'm with you on this one. But, cleaning an engine while it installed can be a real PITA. When I bought my '84 it had a dead motor. When I yanked that motor out I thoroughly cleaned the engine compartment. I also cleaned up the replacement motor (which was already pretty clean) prior to installing it. I also repainted a lot of pieces. A clean motor is a pleasure to work on!   Jeff