Insomnia and a rainier said "just half ass it Tom and hope for the best"
Sounds like the source of the problem has been located! When you get around to having another go with your new parts, here are some tips that helped me get it right the first time:
1. Follow the directions in the RAVE manual. This is available for free, I forget the link to it, searching here will get you to the right place. This is a searchable PDF so you can navigate all 866 pages easily. Find the head bolt tightening sequence instructions and follow those exactly. I made a hand-sketched drawing of the head bolt positions with numbered sequences and stuck it in the engine compartment for reference while I was doing it. Having the cheat sheet was very convenient.
2. Clean out the head bolt holes before inserting bolts. Buy a can of compressed air (like for cleaning dust out of your computer keyboard, the kind that comes with a little red plastic pipe for precise aiming). Cover the valves with a rag and then blast out each head bolt hole with compressed air.
3. To help with the 90, then 90 sequence I bought a paint marker and drew a line from the center to the edge on the head of each bolt AFTER tightening them to initial torque spec. This makes it easier to measure the 90 degrees. For example, if you draw your line from the center of each bolt to 12 o' clock position, then you know to tighten each bolt in sequence to 3 o' clock. Then go around in sequence again to 6 o' clock.
Getting it right takes some physical effort. I ended up using an extension on my breaker bar to achieve the correct torque on the head bolts.
bonus: apply sufficient RTV (or whatever sealant you use) to the ends of the clamps that hold the fore and aft edges of the valley gasket to the block. Going too light on this could result in coolant leaks, which is a bummer after you have everything back together.