I have a philosophy, that I will offer to you. Not knowing the answer to a question is "uninformed. Not knowing the answer to a question and not seeking the knowledge is dumb. You came seeking knowledge, so you deserve an informed answer.
What you are looking to do is what is commonly referred to as a "Krylon Overhaul". If done correctly, it will net some very attractive results.
To get started you will need some supplies. Be sure that the cost is in your budget, and allot the time necessary to complete the project. You can get quite a bit done over a weekend if you plan well in advance.
The idea behind improving the looks under your hood has two elements. The first and foremost is to draw attention to the nice newly painted parts. The second element is to remove, hide, or camouflage items that are not attractive.
Step one should include a a complete cleaning. If you have access to a pressure washer it can be done at home. If not, the local coin op car wash will do just fine. There are a gazillion types of cleaners on the market that will work. I prefer a good soaking of a degreaser in advance, then a fresh soaking of "Gunk" brand Engine-Brite. It has proven to be strong enough to get the grease off, but not harm your paint. It may take several attempts, depending on what method you use, but get the engine compartment as clean as possible.
Since the fenderliners are easy to remove, I would pull them in advance of your weekend. Use scotch soap and water to clean them thoroughly and a scotch-brite pad to scuff them in prep for paint. This is a good time to remove any old components mounted to them that aren't functional.
I strongly recommend using satin, or semi-gloss paint on your fenderliners. DO NOT use flat paint as it will chalk up later, and is much more prone to stains from water or solvents. Unless you plan to paint them body color, I use satin black. This is the starting point of your attempt to "to remove, hide, or camouflage items that are not attractive".
Use plastic or paper to mask off the outside of your engine compartment, and cover your motor as well. You can use Saran wrap and aluminum foil to mask off separate components where needed. Remove or loosen any hoses or wiring and secure them away from the firewall and core support. Take your time to carefully paint everything satin black here too.
Unless you want to pull your headers and paint them properly, you can use Eastwood brand High Temp Exhaust paint. It can be applied with a brush and will give a nice fresh look. Give them a couple of coats and let them cure.
Once dry mask that area and mask or remove your valve covers. Remove the air cleaner, alternator and brackets, and disconnect any hoses and wires that are in the way. If your motor needs a fresh coat of paint, mask the manifold and paint it section at a time.
Either replace the pulleys with chrome ones, or paint them. They can be painted satin black again, or gray to match the valve covers. Clean and reinstall the components you have removed. Use fresh wireloom or clean what you have.
DO NOT use colored wire loom as it tends to look like a bowl of bright colored spaghetti. Use black loom, and black zipties to clean up and secure loose wires. If you can afford new plug wires, replace those with a darker color that you build to length. Add a nice separator kit to this if its not in your budget.
There is so much more that can be added, but if you take your time the results will be impressive. You can do an amazing job with some serious effort on your part.
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