Cleaning and possibly painting and engine

[jonzi]

Hello people,

I have a non Ducati engine that I want to clean up. It's a 15 year old Vespa.

I was thinking about stripping the engine down for giggles and rebuilding it, but I am not sure I want to now. The engine runs ok for a poopy 125.

But I do want the engine to look much better than it does right now.

So any suggestions on what I can do with it?

The engine is out of the bike, and sat on my workbench. Are there any good degreasers that you would recommend?

What about finishes? Is it hard to paint and engine? and keep the paint from flaking off in an instant?

Thanks!