I did all the intake gaskets whilst swapping the cam synchro. my intake was'nt perfect either, cleaned it up (non invasively), and it seems to be holding up fine. I used the fel pro kit but ditched the rubber middles for a can of right stuff gasket maker. My cam synchro keeps going bad, Im about to swap it again for the 3rd time...Which I only mention because now I can do it removing only the top half of the intake, and when peeking around with only the top half off, everything still looked (and felt), clean, dry, and sealed. In conclusion, to silicone or not to silicone, I say take your time, get a good gasket kit and trust your gut (and fellow rangerers)...Now if only I could solve my cam synchro problem