(quoted from post at 19:32:08 04/24/17) You'll want to stay with a good quality, name brand, composition head gasket. If the "metal" gasket you are looking for is a sandwich type, steel, stainless, or copper on the outside with a compressible core in between, that is a good combination. If you are looking for a single layer, embossed steel gasket, no that likely won't work for your application.
Most head gasket failures are the result of poor preparation. The surfaces must be absolutely free of old gasket sealer, carbon, rust, clean down to shinny metal. Also be sure all the passages between the head and block are clear of rust, scale, and old sealer. The threaded holes in the block need to be chased with a tap. Go back with factory new head bolts. If the bolts have flanged heads, built in washers below the hex, all the better. If not, use grade 8 hardened washers to prevent the heads from biting into the head as they are torqued. Bolts in blind holes need oil on the threads, bolts into the water jacket need non hardening sealer.
Do retorque the bolts! I do it with the engine hot. One trick to getting a good retorque is to very slightly back the bolt off, not much, just enough to feel it turn but not relieve the pressure, then take to the recommended torque.
