Sometimes it's the little things that count. You could prob. paint it while mounted even. A little masking, a few sprays = and you're done.
![smoke](http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/images/smilies/smoke.gif)
A little bit of protection goes a long ways sometimes. You've probably got a few cans of paint laying around, leftover from a previous project = no extra/additional expense.