David, I always wash down every engine that I might play with or rebuild with mineral spirits, paint brushes and brass brushes first, even if it's getting broken down,I hate having oily residue or road grit on everything I touch.Don't want it in the engine, don't want it on the tools ,don't want it on a freshly painted bike. That was wash one, then it gets toroughly blown off.
Then I do it again in search of defects like lifting paint I'll sand that back so there's no paint lines, hit everything with a rotating brass brush on a drill just to make sure it's all tight , run a red 3m disc threw the cooling fins , sand back any new chips and scratches , blow off and mineral spirit wash again , and repeat if I see any junk coming from anywhere. blow it clean .
I take off the covers that are a PITA to tape up and bolt in spare covers ( top , tappet, points case covers) that I use when painting and buff out the ones being used. I leave the plugs in because they will be replaced with new, I have 8 corks that I pop in the intake and exhaust openings, Manifold is off for polish too.
I use the rattle can method either VHT or duplicolor 500 degree on the engine , usually cast aluminum for the head , ans sometimes I'll tape it off and throw in some semi gloss black on the jugs ,not the head and the tappet level.
My rebuilds since the flood sport Cast Iron color on the transmission case, the older ones or anything I haven't built , like the last one installed in #1 has no cast iron color, it's all cast aluminum color. My first engines trans was painted ford grey , aluminum for the head so I have an idea who's who and how old.
I paint with a hairdryer at all wet areas and cook the final coat in the sun with the hairdryer being left on different heights all around the engine.even in the sun , sometimes that hairdryer is on for 3 or 4 hours.
have had no issues.
That's about it .... I think . Oh , and never flat black anything....it doesn't stick or wear well.
