If you want to use something, one racers trick is to spray a coat of
aluminum paint on both sides of the gasket & try to get the head on while it
is wet. This must be a paint with some actual metallic content. The theory
is that the metal particles help bond with the metal on both sides. I have
done this on heads I feared might be a problem. The paint does not make the
gasket stick on disassembly or pose a clean up problem. Does it really
help????? I don't know. Always torque in steps, & in the proper order to
bring the head down evenly or it will warp again, defeating your work in
machining it. Make sure your bolts are clean & free of grease or oil accept
possibly a light coating of oil evenly applied. Dirty threads in the block can
cause inaccurate torque readings and create a situation of torquing unevenly,
thus, possible damage to the head, and possible loss of compression, oil and or
water. Keep every thing clean neat and orderly in your work and you will have
no problems.
From: "Thomas A. Strange" jantoms@vbe.com