Dead cylinder on new engine ( what in the he// happened? )

place the intake back on the engine with valley surface cleaned. Push all the way to one side and measure the distance between head and intake. You can use a stack of feeler gauges to get the measurement. Take the measurement, add .060 and split that number in half. That's a general thickness the intake gaskets should be to get a good seal.

I'll bet the current gaskets are not thick enough to provide a positive seal.

This evening I ordered a set of .060" edelbrock gasket and they also have the extra sealant around the ports like the mr gaskets do.