Best sealant for water pump gasket?

[MillerAPF97XLT]

I'm finally getting around to doing the thermostat housing upgrade to the '97 4.0 SOHC, right before we give the truck to my stepdaughter. Figured I'd replace the water pump while I'm this far in. That said, I'm wondering what to use for gasket sealant; my go-to's are RTV silicone or "aviation" sealer. At work, we use the "airplane glue" for almost everything, including water pump gaskets. But personally, I've had good results with both. Does it make any difference in this particular application? Or do I need to use something altogether different? Hoping to get this done tomorrow, so any/all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance... - Chris:exp:

BTW, on the thermostat housing, I cut down the bushings on the new lower housing rather than pushing the ones in the upper housing out. It may have taken a bit longer than the other way, but I'm hopeful for a positive result. Updates to follow...

 

[delexploder]

Permatex super high tack , or good old permatex Indian head high tack are my favorite for water pumps

 

[J_C]

I've always used whatever RTV I had lying around, sparingly.

 

[Explorin'VA]

I'll second the permatex high tack

 

[MillerAPF97XLT]

Thanks for the advice. I will have to acquire whatever I'm going to use from the parts store anyway; if I had any RTV in the garage, it would have cured in the tube long ago. Seems like cleaning off RTV for the NEXT water pump replacement has always been easier than with the high-tack, but I'm installing a quality pump, and my plan is for this to be the last one I have to put on this vehicle. Still open to more ideas/opinions; it'll be next days off before I get to work on it again. Thanks again - Chris:exp:

 

[Grego50]

Aviation sealant is all I've ever used with great success. When it comes time for component replacement, the gasket and sealer are easy to clean up and prep for reassembly.