I just finished grinding out the grooves for the ears to go into, my question is, can is use the bolts the suck the water pump down flush wiht the waterpump housing or do I need to grind the grooves out enough so it just sits flush without the bolts in?

 

I would recommend grinding it till it fit flush. U can go "pretty" far with the grinding if u need to with out any probs. Using bolts to pull two engine parts together is usually not good, that means it doesnt want to fit. I grinded mine till it fit flush.