The "thin line and a quick twist" bit is the part I'd build on. Before you even bolt it down, do a test mount: press the cooler on, give it that same quarter twist, then pull it straight up and look at the footprint. You want a thin even film with maybe a little squeeze out at the edges, no dry patches. I started doing that on every rebuild, especially on those old OptiPlex boards where the mounting pressure is uneven, and it caught two bad cold plates that looked fine. Your mileage may vary with the thicker pastes, those don't spread the same on a test pull.

and now my chiropractor is wondering why his boat payment is late. I bought one of those carts last fall after a slab pour in Billings put me on my knees for a week, and let me tell you, it pays for itself the first time you don't have to hear your spine crack like a knuckle. The guys on my crew laughed at me for being soft until they saw me laying down double their footage without a single grunt. Now they fight over who gets to push the thing, which is fine by me because I'm too old to play hero with a bundle of #5 on my shoulder. You want back pain? Go haul rebar like it's 1985. I'll take the funny looks and the $900 any day.