My passenger vc is leaking and I have several old cork gaskets around. You guys think it would be advisable to use old cork? The gasket i have is an old, probably 15yrs old. Do they dry out over time or not? I wouldn't say it feels as new but its not brittle. If I need to go buy new then what gasket is best?

I am no authority on FE's but have been around them for 35yrs. I love reading about them on this site and learning what helps bring them up to the modern world of technology.  One thing I'm curious about is I dont see much being done to the exhaust side of the heads. It seems all the porting is done to the intake side which I understand it needs attention. But, if the exhaust cant get rid of what's coming in then isnt it wise to make sure the exhaust flows a good percentage of the intake? Keep in mind, I've never ported a set of heads and am ignorant of the topic  but I'm just curious as to what the logic is. Would love to hear some info from you guys with the knowledge.