Guess original may be metal, the new is felt paper hi tac should be fine

I figured you would be cutting off the hoses I did

Best way to clean off gaskets it 90* die grinder with scotchbrite pad ( can't recall what the pads are called)

 

Took advantage of unusually good weather and completed the project today! Everything seems to be working great and the wp bearing noise is gone. I'll keep an eye on everything over next few days to make sure there are no leaks or other issues.
Toughest part was gasket. Couldn't get and use a die grinder and scotch pads because my compressor is just a small 3 gal one not good for much. I thought about upgrading but what else would I use the die grinder for? So I stuck with the razor blade (actually 5 of them over the course of about 7 hours total, "shaving" one thin layer at a time and soaking with gasket remover about every hour).
The fan clutch allen bolts were also tough, lots of patience, PB Blaster and finally the broke loose.
Used permatex high tack on wp gasket (red spray) and seems to have worked OK. Also high temp thread sealant on long wp bolts. Called AB and they said I didn't need a sealer on their t-stat gasket, and side didn't matter; so far so good.
Thanks for all the guidance these past few days.