OK, this question goes out to all those experienced motor-heads that have been building/working on engines for years:

Would copper gaskets be good for my intake manifolds?

I was telling a friend about some of my troubles with my intake manifolds, and how I blew out the cork gaskets. He offered to make me a custom set of copper gaskets. He said they would be guaranteed not to blow out. (Assuming that I can get the manifolds torqued down properly without breaking the bolts.)

Does that make sense to you guys? Are copper gaskets better than cork/rubber?

Is $40 too much for a pair of copper gaskets?

What thickness do I tell him to make them? The same thickness as the stock gaskets?