I used Permatex's The Right Stuff on my son's S10 thermostat housing that had a bad nick in one surface, and it has worked great. Use it instead of any other gasket, and I would always let it dry overnight before I added any fluid. Also, make sure you use it inside and outside the bolt holes.
And, as mentioned above, screw both bolts in all the way without the housing in place and measure how much thread is exposed. Measure that against the housing thickness to make sure your bolts aren't bottoming out.
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Rick
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