Finishing an engine

[JustcallmeMrT]

Hi guys, another newbie question.  I've been looking around on the net about how to get the externals of the engine back looking their finest, and I've come away confused.  There is vapour blasting, ceramic blasting, polishing, painting,  powder coating... so what's the deal?
I just want to have the engine back in a condition where the corrosion and staining of the last 40 years are gone, and the engine is protected for the next 40 - I don't need it blacked out, or any crazy finishes. 

How does one go about achieving this?  If you could give me some options with the pros and cons, it'd really help a confused new bike owner.

[Trigger]

Vapour blasting is good but, it stains over time. I always advise my customers to have the engine cleaned with soda blasting and then painted using SIMVHT31C. This is the best match paint and seals the engine from the weather. If you look up UKPete's threads he has just painted his sandcast CB750 engine. 

[JustcallmeMrT]

Thanks for the advice trigger.  Is it necessary to bake the paint afterwards?  I'm wondering if I can get away with not taking it all to pieces for the job...

[Trigger]

It is better to bake on the paint. If you are not taking the engine a part, how are you to check the primary chain, cam chain ect, ect?
With these old girls it is better to be safe than sorry. If the engine has been sitting about the oil rings will not be in the best of condition. Also on the 750's they have a problem with the rubber oil plunger. If this is not corrected it will leak oil in to the bottom of the engine.

[JustcallmeMrT]

Fair enough.  I'm having a mechanic sort the engine for me, so will ask him to let me know when it's all in pieces and do the paintwork then.

[Trigger]

Once the paint is done, tell the engine builder to wear gloves to reassemble. You do not want his dirty mits on your nice paint work.

[JustcallmeMrT]

  Will do.  In an earlier post you mentioned that you recommend soda blasting to your customers - what line of work are you in?

[Trigger]

Engine builder

[JustcallmeMrT]

Nice!  Where are you at?  I'm near slough, Berkshire.

[Trigger]

It says on my profile

[JustcallmeMrT]

What are your rates?

[Trigger]

For my house?
My rates are busy, busy and i am fully booked up until the new year. No one can give you a price on a re-build until it has been stripped and assessed. If anyone does they do not know what they are talking about.

[JustcallmeMrT]

I've gathered as much from all my trawling.    That's exactly what my current guy said - having it looked at by Stewart of Stewarts Motors in Sunbury.  Heard of him?

[Trigger]

No never heard of Stewarts. Is it a engineering firm or just a bike shop?

[JustcallmeMrT]

Being from Canada, I'm not sure how you'd classify it here.  I'd say it's a bike shop, but the website does talk about engineering some pieces as needed.  Check them out at http://stewarts-motorcycles.co.uk/