I sand blast them then wash them with hot water and dish soap (you could also hot tank them) to remove any grease and oil.
After they're nice and clean, I "paint" them with Permatex anti-seize just before installation.
Smokes like crazy when you start it up but leaves a nice graphite coating that's easy to touch up. just brush on a little more anti-seize.
It's cheap & easy, it
works great and lasts a long time.
old Hotrodder trick
