I like breaking down the hard paint with the stripper then it's less time and easier to blast. Alot of things are messy.. but an intake? Go down to the car wash and apply the stripper. Vacuum your car and then wash it. By then maybe with a couple more quarters you can wash the intake off.. Be sure not to be parked close while you spray it though..
Just throwing this out for what it's worth. When my engine builder was doing my Cleveland, I gave him a rear sump Canton pan that takes a really long oil pickup tube to the pump. I found one used and glass beaded it and took it down to him. Now we're talking about a builder that has been doing racing engines since the 60's and he told me to go and buy a new anodized pickup. He told me that he has found this "sand" residue, left over from glass beading, in oil pans during teardowns. He said that, no matter how good of a job you do cleaning parts, especially cast parts, after having them beaded, you can never get all of it out of the casting due to it being so fine. In my case it was a 30 dollar part we were talking about so I just ordered a new pickup from Canton.
