Not sure if your still struggling with this, but here it goes.
Can we get some pictures of what you've got going on because my reverse comes out on the right side and the steering comes out on the left side. Like this. (I am not running that old PD setup anymore, that is seen in the pictures so please ignore that)
And I too have a JC style bowl. If you want to run a better bowl, I would recommend finding a JG split bowl that is in good shape. This allows you to bolt all kinds of stuff up to it, like wedges and droop snoots, and stuff like that. The only reason that I am running a JC bowl is because mine was freshly reworked when I bought the boat. It also came with a JG bowl, but that thing was a basket case and needed lots of work, and I didn't feel like doing it, so I sold that bowl on eBay. My fins in my JC bowl look basically perfect, here's a pic. And I shouldn't have to worry about them for some time now.
As far as making them look good, I just stripped the PC off, down to the green primer, and painted them with some white automotive paint (in a spray can), that I got at the parts store. It is very hard and looks good against the new pieces. The good thing about paint is that if you get a chip in it, you can just spray it again. You can't do that with PC. And if you do a good amount of prep work, the paint should last awhile on there. I also used an acid etching primer before painting. And sanded the aluminum smooth before priming, and wet sanded with fine sandpaper between all coats, and it turned out very smooth and hard.
Hope this helps.
