Buy these gaskets and never have a problem ever again. I’ve used them with the headlock bolts. No issues whatsoever. Mine were bigger for my larger exhaust port, but those should be about right for stock.
They make a damn good gasket. Also, they’re very thin so they drop in real easy. There’s a nice embossed area around the port which seals up great.
I won’t go back to aluminum after using these. Rtv is still up there if you can pull the header back far enough though.
I don't follow...
I think copper RTV is the way to go, but I'm sure these are fine.
I’ve used this before on head gaskets. It would work on exhaust manifolds, but I like the copper rtv that comes in the tube better. It fills in all the little scratches on the mating surface.