Paint the fins, or not?

[ironman]

Ok, I'm sure this thread will start a debate that will go on forever and never be settled, but here goes:

I've read, I don't know how many posts on this forum of posters warning other posters doing a restoration not to paint the fins of their cylinder heads or hydro pumps claiming the paint will cause overheating. Usually you see this warning after a proud member wanting to display his work posts a progress picture and there it is, a beautiful engine or partially assembled frame with........GASP....... a painted head or hydro.

"Good Lord, I can't believe you painted the fins" are the replys. "Now you went an done it, she's gonna overheat".

What brought me to this question is, yesterday I was watching TV, picked up on an old episode of BoB Vila's "This old House". They were in a restoration that was in its final stages and this painting contactor was explaining proper wall painting to Bob Vila while his guys were doing the walls and trim. Vila noticed that the hot water radiator in the room had already been painted with the same paint as the walls and asked the contractor if it's proper to paint radiators. Contractors reply, "It's a myth, you can paint them with anything you want, doesn't affect them".

So my thinking is home radiators and fins on heads/hydros serve the same purpose, radiate heat so what's the difference? Now me personally, I have painted fins in the past and have never had a single overheating issue.

Yeah, shiny clean aluminum fins look cool, but does it really matter?
To paint, or not to paint. That is the question!