Small update:

I've gotten the block almost completely cleaned, just a few more small spots to take care of before it's ready for paint. Side note: it took two different razor scrapers and 6 razor blades just to get the old paper oil pan gasket off. Timing cover gasket was only slightly easier to remove.

I'm going to be spraying it Chrysler Hemi Orange, because hemi, and because there was no way I was going to go with black after the amount of effort I've put into it so far.

I'm leaving the timing cover and rear cover as bare aluminum, along with the head and valve cover. I will be fogging the oil pan orange once it's cleaned up as well.



I did have a question about the rocker assembly: do the shafts press out of the caps, or am I missing something? I don't want to destroy something by accident, but those rocker shafts need to come apart so I can get them as clean as possible.

I understand that I most likely won't get every single last particle of bearing material out of the engine, but I'm trying to get enough out that the oil filter will catch whatever's left, and the moly lube will grab what the oil filter doesn't.

And no, I haven't started polishing the crankshaft yet. I had an extremely busy two weeks at work before going on holiday leave and I did not actually get the crocus cloth ordered. At this point I don't know if I even will order it, because I found a few sheets of 2,000 grit sandpaper in a drawer that I forgot about, and I might just use that for the final polish.



I haven't made as much progress as I would have liked to have made by this point, but progress has been made.