I put my greasy mess of a SBC on a small rolling stand and duct taped up the ports and such. I put it in the back of my pickup, along with some ez off and some other degreaser and some scrub brushes, and went to the local self service car wash. There I cleaned all the big nasty stuff off. The EZ off really takes paint off. I did do some early pre-coats of ez off to get the ball rolling.
When I got home, I put it on a taller engine stand and cleaned every nook & cranny with lacquer thinner, rags & brushes, even a toothbrush. Then I masked off the intake and primed & painted it. Then I removed the tin and did them separately. I hate painted gaskets.
With any luck, the paint will stick when i start it again.