Is it worth the effort to clear coat aluminium parts in the engine compartment.

I have a carb that I am rebuilding, it sat in a wrecked vehicle for 20 yrs exposed to the elements, the carb is 71yrs old, it is one of the first single barrell carbs rochester made.

The aluminium is dark and grey, having soaked it in a water based rust converter, I now have stain lines, I will give it a blast with either plastic media or garnet before I put a kit through it, however, I am wondering if its worth putting a coat of clear on it for extra protection, that being said, 71yrs old and its not pitted etc, so, mmm

Steve

It's common to put light coat of matte clear on intakes after they are glass beaded to seal up the pores, and make them look 'fresher'. I wouldn't do a carb, though, unless you use a really tought clear, like Imron.
To freshen up carb bodies, I dip them in 'alodine', to get a factory gray-green tint. It also protects the aluminum from oxidizing. Or you can send them to a carb restorer to get a gold or silver chromate dip, which is more like the what the factory uses.