Just got a rubber Fel-pro gasket and ready for the weekend project.

My question is: what else should I do when tear off the valve cover, should I clean any carbon deposit around the valve? If so, what solvent is safe to use?

Thanks.

You can use any solvent on the cover, it's all gonna get wiped clean before install anyway. Get a good gasket scraper and a bunch of rags (rags for inside the head around the gasket surface) and scrape away everything that is on that surface, just don't gouge the surface. Those Fel-Pro rubber gaskets you install dry for valve cover apps.