The better you lap your block, the less AS3 you need. Because the pits/scratches/irregularities are smaller, you need less goop to fill those pits. On a block lapped over 1000 grit, you literally only need the sheen from the silver goop for it to be effective.
As far as tightening those bolts, I hope you are spring loaded. If you don't have the springs to help "load-level" your block, you run a serious risk of crushing your core doing this. One full turn of a bolt without a spring buffer is easily enough pressure to turn your chip into silicon dust. Food for thought.
If you still want to balance (you can get springs at a local hardware shop if you don't have them ... look for ones with medium tension ... you should be able to compress them relatively easily with your hand, but they shouldn't be totally slack, either), tip your case/board so that it is parallel with the ground (if possible). Tighten all four bolts against the springs until the block is tight against the core and cannot be moved (don't play hercules here ... we're talking can't be moved with about 5-10lbs force). With your box on its side, boot it up and go into BIOS. Go to the temp screen and slowly tighten one corner at a time by small amounts (1/2-1/4 turn at a time) and wait about a minute or two to see how it affects it. Slowly tune it on all four corners (if necessary) until you get the best temp you can get. Once done, stand the box up and watch the temp gauge. You may need to tighten the top two bolts a touch to compensate for gravity against the block, and viola, you have a "perfectly" tuned machine.
Depending on the setup of your machine, you always want the res directly before the pump (if possible), and the block or rad immediately after it. If you use a res, probably putting the block immediately after it is best. If you just use a little air trap, you can use either the rad or the block after it. That should also help your temps if you have your system arranged differently.
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