Yesterday I took advantage of some terrific December weather (70 degree temps) and gave the block a coat of paint. Chevy Orange VHT. If its as durable as it looks good, I should be all set.
I put the paint on so thick I even had to wetsand some runs out of the timing cover and oil pan (my OCD was kicking in). I also did a lot of the other parts- fan, water pump, balancer, bellhousing, etc... Everything on the engine is going to be chevy orange or hot-rod black. Should look really good and really true to stock.
So the garage is still a huge mess but at least its a more painted/clean mess.
I bought a bunch of sheetmetal too. Rad support, inner fenders....rockers, cab corners, some other small patch panels for the front fenders. With the front end already off, now might be the time to get the brunt of the rust repair done too.
This is way more than I wanted to do this fast but the truck should look (sound, and run) pretty good this spring.