my guess would be after - would get scratched galore if it were before... probably went thru a de-burring process after casting then to the jig for machining. Then probably went thru a cleaning process to remove cutting oil and excess chips before paint too otherwise it would not stick and the radiator would be clogged with chips.
cant answer on the masking question. BUT I would guess they would do something.CAT masks all the mounting surfaces and plugs all the holes so paint doesnt fill them or have paint buildup so mounting surfaces are level.