Intake won't bolt on!

I'm just in the process of replacing a torker 340 with the RPM Air Gap. I removed the old intake, cleaned all the flanges and installed the correct type edelbrock intake gaskets. I put RTV around the end seal flanges and placed the intake on the engine.

The bolt holes seemed to not line up perfectly but I did manage to get all the bolts started. The problem I'm having is that it is really hard to screw the bolts in and I think I'm already over 25 ft pound without the bolt head even being down to the intake. What's going on here?

I forgot to run a tap through the bolt holes when the intake was off. Could this be the issue that there is bolt sealant in the threads that makes it really hard to turn the bolts? Or is something else going on?

If I take the intake off to clean the treads up, can I still use the edelbrock gasket or do I need to buy a new set?

Frustrating how sometimes the easiest jobs seem to give ya a headache LOL