Scrub the CRAP out of the decks. They need to be so clean you'd eat breakfast off them. Use whatever - I like lots of WD-40 and a scotchbrite pad on a piece of 2x4. I then follow with trans fluid and fresh scotchbrite. Wipe with ATF until a white cloth stays clean (well, red but not red with debris). Wipe the cylinders out too - use a shop vac and rotate the engine to get any debris out. I fill the valley with towels.
When it's time to put on the gaskets, cut a pair of long 7/16 bolts and use them as guide pins. Clean the surfaces with brake cleaner and dry with compressed air. Do not touch the sealing surfaces. Open the new gaskets and handle by the edges. Drop them straight down on the deck, then follow with the clean dry head. Add head bolts and torque in sequence to specs.
For the intake, I use RTV for the end seals and Mr Gasket Ultra Seal for the ports. I also use a pair of long 5/16" bolts for alignment pins. You can stick the gaskets to the heads with Permatex aircraft sealant, but use sparingly. The RTV end seal trick requires a bead of sufficient size to fill the gap, then wait about 10 minutes for it to get a little stiff. Then put a very thin coat of RTV on the intake and set it straight down. Hand torque the bolts snug then let the RTV set up. After a couple of hours, torque a little more. Next day, do the final torque. I prefer Permatex Ultra Black.
Permatex Application Notes
