Quick update for tonight. Progress is a tad slow but its progress none-the-less!
I figured out my intake situation and decided to buy some new intake gaskets with the same part number is the ones I removed.
I started with tapping the holes in the head to get rid of the old RTV and make sure I was going to get accurate torque readings:
Here is everything I used for the install:
I used some gray high-strength RTV around the exhaust ports on both sides of the gasket and just a bad of black RTV on the bolts:
The gasket kit came with some rubber seals to go on the ends, and I started off using them but they did not seal after I torqued everything down. So, I needed to take everything back apart and used a thick bead of black RTV instead.
Installed! (The base anyway...)
Next I was on to getting the transmission cleaned up. I have decided to paint it, so I needed to get it nice and clean for good adhesion.
I also took the time to clean off a lot of the excess RTV for a cleaner look:
That's all for now, hoping some more progress this weekend!