Thermostat Housing Won't Stop Leaking

Should an O-ring seat into the groove that the thermostat sits in?
best to use a thick old piece of glass, laid on a flat table or something that is flat. sand that puppy till its smooth. I`d take it to a machinist and have him machine the bolt area down, quit just after the bolt holes. creating a raised area for the gasket around the stat. it will fix about any leakage problem with any housing. quite screwing w/ it and do it, u won`t be sorry.