Thanks for the link and all the info.
Seems like almost more work than its worth, and not sure i could sleep at night if a small remnant was left behind
The head and jugs really aren't too bad, I've seen much worse but I thought that since I could use my friends blaster it may be worth doing.
I'm thinking a long soak in a degreaser bath, some brushes, a rinse and then paint.
If I don't go the blasting route, what methods do you guys recommend for cleaning out the exhaust,intake ports, cylinder domes? Those seem caked with carbon etc and usually even degreaser has a tough time with those. Also those pesky gaskets, I thought putty knife but didn't want to gouge head..