I used many different things when I did mine. Permatex gasket remover makes an excellent stripper so I used that in some tight areas. I also used a wire wheel and a stripping wheel. The stripping wheel by far worked the best but it did not last real long.
I would not attempt to hand sand it.. that is more time than it is worth. You might try taking it to a sandblaster and having them take care of stripping it, then you can paint it whatever you want.