[olddog]

You asked about costs. I used a mild steel for the plates. It seems like it was between $100 and $200 for the plates. Mostly labor. If you had stainless side pipes and headers. The plates would need to be stainless as well. I doubt the stainless verses mild steel would be a significant difference.

Other than the cost of fasteners and paint that was it for me. I think you should be able to have it done for $400 or less, but I never priced it. I already had the aluminum that I made the gasket from.

PS
If you actually paid someone to be as anal as me you would pay $1.5K. Most professionals can do things much quicker than me, but not to my level perfection. Admittedly, I waste time making things look good that you would have to disassemble to see I did it. I also waste time deciding how to best do something. This is why I would never try to do this for a living.