Stripped the paint off, sanded to rough up the surface, then I used the ball hammer method to pound out the bolt hole areas and I also straightened them as best I could see. They did look pretty warped where the leaks were. I never bothered to do that the first time around. Didn't have any primer so I did the three step POR-15, then I did three light coats of my color of choice (Don't ask,lol). I applied gook to the valve cover and a thin layer to the gasket side that mates up with the valve cover, set them in place and pressed them in til they seemed sticky enough to hold while I worked them into the engine bay.
I don't have an inch pound torque wrench so I used my 1/4" drive set with a long extension. Got them finger tight, then I put a ratchet on a gave a little more. I figure the concave of the metal pounding I gave em aught to allow for any overtightening, which I was very careful NOT to do.
Side note - Since the inch pound torque for these is so low and it seems nearly impossible to get in there without an extension....how accurate can you really get with the proper torque? Because when you add an extension that messes up your torque, correct? I think of those torque sticks that tire shops use.