I always permatexed them , but in the shop I figured that the chances of me being the one who would have to clean off the gasket to replace it next time were thin.
You will want a friend with you , you need to feel through the opening in the block for the lobe on the camshaft and have your friend roll the engine over, by hand ; batteries disconnected; to find the low spot on the cam.
Otherwise forcing the pump lever in and trying to line up the bolts at the same time will make it a very ,
frustrating job.