Engine - Clean & Paint?

July 2016 - update
So probably the thing I've been dreading most is degreasing and cleaning the engine.  REALLY dreading.  But it remains the last significant task before re-assembly can begin, and the parts are starting to stack up.

Various degreasers only worked so-so.  I tried one oil cutter I had around from years ago; a concoction of vinegar and alcohol and dishwashing liquid, as well as Simple Green.  None really were the 'magic bullet' holy grail of effortless satisfaction, but all helped a little.  In the end it took repeated applications combined with scrubbing with a brush, scotch pad and water pressure.  A few shots of contact cleaner helped on some nooks and crannies.  On a few sections (frame paint overspray) the paint remover ('aircraft peeler') worked very well.  And to finish I dried it with high pressure air from the compressor.

Then it was time to finally pull out my soda blaster from Harbor Freight.  I did not cover much area with it in the first pass, but enough to be satisfied that it should work to get the remainder looking decent.  Preliminary photos of progress below; will tackle the rest tomorrow.

Update - while 'passable', the engine came out very decent looking, yet the exposed aluminum will oxidize, and some black spots are already evident.  Also, there is only one time that the engine will be this exposed, accessible and out of the frame as this project is about to turn a corner.  Thus a friend, PJ, was able to finally convince me to go ahead and paint everything (a decision made easier when he was doing most of the work!).  The images below show the fruits of a day's labor, which involved removal of all ancillary bits, more degreasing, prep and many coats of 'cast aluminum' color and clearcoat.  The 'Moto Guzzi' on top of the valve covers was, however, polished before painting.

Oh, and in other news, I found that the engine number does not match my title!  Aaarrgh!  It was either wrong on the original title when transferred or an error on the part of the AAA inspector for the DMV (out of state transfer).  At any rate I did not verify myself - well I was fairly sure that I did, so the numbers must have been smudged with enough dirt that the 3 looked like a 5.  So now I have to get the error corrected - but I'd just spent $50 on a replacement foil VIN plate for the frame that now has the wrong engine number on it...  grrrr.