I get pissed whenever I tear into something and find a paper gasket. They take so much finesse to remove, due to the almost exclusive aluminum parts that can be marred pretty easily with one mispositioned cleaning tool. That's what I love about the LS V6, thick framed gaskets with re-usable silicone sealing edges that never get stuck on and just pop apart. My subie uses paper gaskets on the intake to head ports, and those almost never come off easily. Again, it's easy to mar the aluminum sealing surface with cleaning tools. My machine shop buddy taught me to stand a razor blade at 90 degrees to the surface and move side to side to clean off residue. Sometimes, I might not square it properly and it ends up acting like a planer and makes a mini bevel at the edge of the surface I am cleaning. Anyway, cool story! Did you use any spray a gasket tacky stuff on that gasket, or a thin film of silicone, or did you leave it dry? Glad you're back to pumping coolant again!