Tips?

Toss tye cork, Get a can of "The Right Stuff" sealer. It come in a cheese wiz can.
That stuff works!!

I sealed up a tranny gasket with that stuff. I was sick and tired if it leaking all the time so I glued the dipstick tube in with it, and used it on both sides of a rubber gasket on the tranny pan. Man, I hope I never have to take it off.

For my intakes I have always used the cork with a thin coat of ultra black on both sides to hold them in place and a nice fat bead in the corners. I have never had one leak.