After a long search I finally found a place that can get their hands on aluminum countersunk rivets. I'm going to wait until I have them in hand but it looks like this case is goin' for paint. Also I've done a few test samples to make sure metal prep isn't going to be an issue. Using Tremclad all is well even on the sample that I didn't even clean, Rustoleum = crap. I didn't try the Krylon but given how the Tremclad looks I don't think I'll need to try anything else. I only put the last coat on 48hours ago so it's still curing, probably a few more days yet before I can test it for wear to make sure it's bonded well. It will take about that long for my rivets to come in anyway.
One question, I'm having a hard time being able to tell from the pics on websites but it appears most/all WC rads are painted gloss black, is that true? I may at some point add a separate loop for the gravy stuff like NB, PWM, RAM and would just buy a rad for it and would like to have it match so I'd appreciate if someone could confirm that for me.
Thanks,
Ryan