Paint it, Clear it or Let It Rip?

One other tip I'll pass along is to use thread sealer on every one of your intake bolts so oil doesn't wick back up the bolts and puddle oil in the little valleys below the bolts.
Yes! I've done this for 30 years, but I'm cheap and just put a dab of RTV about three quarters of the way up from the bottom of the bolt. Nothing down where it counts on the threads as far as torque, but low enough that when the bolt rotates through the hole in the intake, it gets a good little "O ring"