sandblast or stripper?

Sure, there is cast iron paint in a rattle can... check Eastwood...or, try looking for "steel wheels" at your local parts store.

EDIT: My bad, don't know what I was thinking w/ the cast iron...been a long week...

Andy

go to your local Harley dealer and pick up a can of "silver bead blast" engine case paint:yes: It's textured silver paint that will look just like a brand new raw aluminum intake manifold when it's dry:yes: (as long as you follow the coating directions on the can)

are you rebuilding trans? if not sand tends to be very aggresive on seals and gaskets etc. find a soda blaster in your area ,much less aggresive. small part thrown in with others wont be that pricey. does not effect aluminum casting like sand and looks good too. pricier than a spray can, just another option

I would just degrease, maybe scotchbrite it a bit, prime and paint.

There are companies that make aluminum color paint, it's a touch bright, but does look good. An M21 I bought was painted this way.:yes:

I would tape up where anything could get inside & strip it & then steel wool it clean good & then if you like the look leave it ,If not then paint it. This way it would be clean



. Later Larry Mc

If you have access to a presure washer then you can take it down to bare metal pretty easily, and then hit it with scotch bright pads to get all the detail. If you don't have access to a presure washer then you could do what I did, throw it in the back of a truck, hit it with a can or two of degreaser, take it to the local self serve car wash, and spend 5-10 minutes cleaning it the best you can, then scotch bright it.