First, thanks to Rockledge for posting those instructions. I wish I had seen something like that before I did the work on my Aerostars.

Joel, Are you sure the threads on your bolts or the holes in the heads are clear?

I did this gasket replacement on 2 different 4.0 liter engines, and had no problem with the torque sequences provided by Fel-Pro, which are similar to these numbers. I had to repeat each stage in order to get the torque to stabilize before going to the next stage.

Having said that, a couple years ago I was assembling a small block Ford v8, and I had a terrible time with the intake manifold bolts. It turned out I got some really soft flat stainless steel washers in the intake bolt kit from Summit. They prevented the bolt heads from properly seating on the bosses on the intake manifold, and I also snapped 3 bolts. I eventually got some lock washers that properly fitted into the recesses in the bosses, and was able to correctly torque down the bolts without breaking another.