The oil pickup tube having a thin layer of RTV behind the gasket promotes better sealing of the two surfaces. Also since the RTV is resistant to oil, it is suitable to use in this area. In the 6G72 manual, they recommend a thin layer of RTV. The oil pickup tube relies on the gasket, there isn't an o-ring of sort.
More progress made... Warning! NOTHING IS SET IN STONE AT THIS VERY MOMENT.
I didn't bolt the oil pan down yet because I am missing quite a number of oil pan bolts, so I need to order a new set. I put a few bolts in for now.
I didn't install my head gaskets because my head gaskets are not thick enough. The piston to head clearance is not met with the OEM gaskets, so I have to order custom Cometic head gaskets with a custom thickness.
Now that is out of the way:
Distributor shield:
And wire wheeled a few bolts. I got the oil pump seal to finally work without binding. I sealed the oil pan with RTV black, used a fairly tall, thick bead and let it set up for about 10 minutes before putting the oil pan on. I set the oil pan on the seal for a good 10 minutes before putting a few bolts into the pan. So far, so good, it's coming along, just taking my time, there isn't any rush on this. I didn't torque the rear cam gear yet because I need to take it off and install the newly painted distributor shield then put the cam gear on. I do realize that I am probably going to need to add some teflon tape to the sandwich plate plugs' threads and reinstall in the sandwich plate.