when i said that i didnt mean to get the manifold closer to the head. when i put on my triple metal gasket for my manifold it had ridges on both sides of it, when i torqued it down though the gasket obviously spread out some. What i was saying is when you torque it down will the plastic be soft enough to spread out more, to reduce the difference between the size of the manifold runner and the size of the gasket hole