Head gasket getting oval?

Here's another idea: You have head lift, the result of the intake pulling up on the head. It looks like every cylinder is bulging out towards the valley and not in any other direction, I read this as head lift.

What/how do you seal the front and rear of your intake? If you use a bead of silicone, how much gets squeezed out?

Like I said, it's an idea, think about it.

Good luck!