-I start the job by cleaning out all the bolt holes, and the bolts. Some will be full of corrosion or silicone or rust.Then I glue the gasket to the block. Then I glue the little oilpan rail pieces down and silicon the joint-lines. I take a couple of line up pins that I have previously made from longer bolts with heads cut off,that fit in the down-facing holes,and I screw them in the cover, before installing it.Next as the cover drops in and is sitting in approximately the right place I insert a prybar through one of the waterports and gently push the cover down with one hand, and install one of the waterpump bolts to hold it there. Repeat on otherside.Next,remove the line-up pins,and screw in the correct bolts.Then draw the cover down until all the other boltholes line up, but not to final torque. After that the lower 3,forward facing,bolts go in, not tightened. Finally install the waterpump, or at least the wp-bolts. If any bolt hangs up and cant be installed with fingers in clean threads, you may need to adjust the oilpan bolt tension.Do not go crazy on the prybar pressure.If everything lines up,you can tighten up the forward facing bolts, and finally the oilpan bolts.
-Its not mandatory to use the line-up pins.Job can easily be done without them. Just foolproof for 1st-timers.
-Sometimes I use two prybars at the same time(tricky,but do-able)When using the 2 prybar method I usually start a couple of the long wp bolts first(as Im pushing the cover down),then draw the cover down, with the oilpan bolts, until I can freely spin the wp bolts.
Now, getrdone.