Originally Posted by
Mickey2
It looks fine. If you do a very good job it will be just as valuable if not more. A rewired and top condition 15-91 or 201-2 is not that common. If you go for black paint and decals like the original there's always some who prefers that, and there are quite a bit of interst in alternative colors too. Very few of us do this for the machine value. After cleaning and fixiup a machine can often be sold at a higher price, but these machines are worth most to those who use it and appreciate it. At least they keep their value.
I definitely plan to keep it and not sell it. I will most likely go black as the original, but white with black decals would be pretty wild to change it up. Maybe even some exotic car color with metal flake. I am also thinking about having stencils made for the decals and painting them on. I have a buddy that does vinyl decals. It would be much easier to airbrush than to work with those fragile decals and alignment.
To blast it I just used an off the shelf sandblasting box with fine glass beads. The finish is very tough and it took some time to cut through. I would advise to use the fine grit to keep the finish smooth. A brass wire wheel will do the same thing if you don't have access to a blasting setup.