+ 1:drink::drink::drink:

I appreciate all the input...

I'm still several weeks away from painting the long-block, but hoping to shoot all the candy next weekend...manifold, v-covers, blower, carb. Opted to leave the air cleaner as is...for now.

Another quick question...
The carb is currently Mercruiser blue, I plan on repainting it with the blue candy.
My thinking is to give it a good exterior cleaning with some spray carb cleaner, & then do a soda blast to give the paint a profile for the new paint. Of course I will be sealing all openings prior to this.
It's a Dominator, & I'm just thinking that complete disassembly really won't make much of a difference in the way of prepping. It does appear that the carb was painted originally from Mercruiser, fully assembled.

Echoing what mrfixxall stated...

The rattle can really won't last as long before the rust starts to show thru...especially in the lower bilge area. I went that route, & after a complete season, I could see signs of rust around the oil pan, so this time I'm going a different route...
If you have the engine out, you will be much happier with a good automotive paint from a gun.
The cost really isn't too bad, even if you have to buy a spray gun off ebay, & rent a compressor, or better yet, borrow one from a friend :drink:

can anybody read this ?