Im am about to start painting my engine block now that i have spent ages cleaning it up, but i am unsure whether i can paint the head

The reason is all the gasket faces for inlet, exhaust etc, do these areas need masking or is it ok to paint and fit the gasket over the top

I don't intend on using HT paint, but if not with this start to crack and peel around the exaust area

You will need to mask these of...

Dan

Mask off all gasket areas and use engine laquer. It's cheap, heat and oil resistant as it's designed for the job.

Mask the areas off. You dont want a lot of paint under a gasket as it can leak, or glue its self on. Make sure to clean the engine well before painting.

Use engine enamel paint. Its slightly more money, but much sturdier than other paints. It also sprays better out of a can IMO. I use engine enamel evertime Im painting with a spray can.
Cheers.