haha thanks!! really the cleaning and polishing is very straightforward, I don't use any special materials or tools. Just elbow grease. lots of it. Basically for any piece you want polished, first you strip off old paint with a paint stripper, and start sanding. If there is A LOT of texture, like a stock intake manifold, start with 80 grit. Usage of tools would be very helpful. I taped my 80 grit to a small hand sander by black and decker. From there, work your way up from 80 to 120, 220, 420, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, and 3000 grit if you like, spend about an hour or more per grit, then get a good polishing compound and go at it, finish with a sealant and you're good!! Cleaning the engine bay is the same, Simple green, plus a stiff bristle brush for the really caked on grime, maybe engine bay degreaser if you need it, brake cleaner for non painted parts, and lots and lots of elbow grease. The only thing about paint, is that it will never look as good as powdercoating. Even with my perfectly prepped and cured painted pieces, I know the paint will chip around the bolts once I install them, it's unavoidable.
I will be moving during this month, so hopefully once I get settled in and the new place cleaned up, I can start prepping the car to receive it's new engine. My buddy said he has to drill out the headbolt holes in my head because they aren't lining up perfectly with the ARP studs. Anyone else have this issue before?
As for 200+mph:
[video=youtube;iCurpKPx2Ao]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCurpKPx2Ao&feature=player_embedded[/video]
told you it could be done.