[dsraven]

well, at least you persevered and won over.
anytime I do a gasket on an oil pan, valve covers or any other sheet metal style cover, I always clean it well then lay it gasket side down against the flat steel workbench top. I shine a light behind it and look fr the gaps. I straighten as required. also, where the bolts go through, they usually deform because there isn't usually a back up plate under the bolt so the point pressure of the bolt makes a divet in the sheet metal. I use the round end of a ball pein hammer held against that spot, from the gasket side, the hit that hammer head with another hammer to push that divet back out again. usually on the edge of the workbench as a "dolly".
silicone gaskets usually require a bunch of work to seperate the parts so defoprmation of stamped steel pans is pretty common. if I can find a "formed silicone" gasket I will use them over anything. if I need to use a tube of silicone I only use "the right stuff" because the regular stuff, however good it is, doesn't stack up to it. it dries pretty quick also.