On one hand, you could fix what you have. Most Quadrajets at this point do seem to have some warpag, so this is not new. On the other hand, you could just find another core. I buy cores at the swap meets for cheap money. So id say, find another core and put the other one on the shelf. You can fix it later. Your apt, when you figure out a way to remove it, you will have gained some valuable knowledge, right? LOL (dont forget to share your new "trick to remove APT screw" with all of us here.) Alternatively, you could just find another baseplate. good luck enjoy!