Before you cut the baffles out you can try just "massaging" them with a small ball peen hammer. I was able to make clearance this way. The other addition I had great luck with and recommend was changing to a cork steel laminated gasket. The Fel Pro 1636 gaskets are about twice as thick as a standard and are made of excellent quality. Once you glue them to the cover put some white lithium grease on the head side and you will be able to have the cover on and off without wrecking your gasket. This way you can bolt things down and listen for any clearance issues.
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