C7ZX-A Intake SNAFU. Restoration to CAST appearance?

[jayb]

I can confirm that stainless steel shot will not work in a siphon type blasting cabinet.  I bought 10 pounds of the stuff to try it, but it wouldn't come through the blasting tube.

[Heo]

I too have tried steel shots in a ordinary cabinet and
its not working you have to gravity feed the blaster
with them
What i do with alu is i first blast it with that black sand
i Think it some crushed slag, To get the parts Clean.
With that you get a raw porous surface
Then i use new glasbeads to get a smother finish that dont
absorb dirt...its like the glasbeads polish and peen the Surface

[rockittsled]

you did mention the possibility of sending it to a shop, the may 2011 issue of Street Rodder has an article about a shop that repairs/restores Al castings.  The shop is owned by Lamar Walden of Brand X 409 fame

 http://lwaengines.com/?page_id=13