intake gasket questions

Yes, definitely drain the radiator. And raise the rear of the car too, the rear ports under the manifold flanges always seem to hold coolant by vacuum if you don't get the level down in the block. Anymore, I just go ahead and pull the pipe plugs on the bottom of the water jackets in the block and flush everything in the coolant system if I'm changing a manifold. My mentality is "IF your that far into it anyway..."