[philminotti]

It sounds like you were meticulous during the assembly….just make sure you're not chasing a leak from somewhere else.

That being said, I have the same block and pan as you and I used Milodon gaskets. I used The Right Stuff on all mating surfaces. No leaks. Of course, it will be damn near impossible to get the pan off if I ever have to . That stuff is brutal.

I do like TA-31 though. I used it on my intake, which had front and rear gaps large enough for small rodents to crawl through and no leaks. And TA-31 is far easier to disassemble than The Right Stuff. I'm kind of surprised that the TA-31 isn't working out for you.

To answer some of your questions:

I used brake cleaner. Lots. I'm sure I have liver cancer already.
I didn't roughen any surface.
One word: STUDS
No loctite
No retorque

And I'm sure you know this, but don't over torque that pan. I did my first time and dimpled the snot out of it. It took me several hours with a ball peen hammer to fix it.