Hey Gnarls, I think you may be confused on which plate I'm talking about.
Where else do you recommend putting the thread sealant? Seems counter intuitive to use it as a gasket sealer? 
That plate and a leak would drive me nuts.
Not being able see it, I'm guessing the mating surface at the manifold is very narrow?
The amount surface area to seal the plate to the bottom of the manifold is minimal, so with the heat and pressure on the sealing areas, I'd go with whatever Offenhauser recommends. If there are any defects, Offenhauser should warrantee their stuff.
Gnarls.
