OK, sorry for the delay, with a short week last week was hard to get everything together.
So where I'm at currently, I have based this on a batch of 10, no issues doing more if required.
This would be a kit like you would buy, 4 stainless steel pipes (304, 1.6mm wall), locally made, copied off a sample. I have no asked for pricing for thinner wall, but 1.2mm or even 0.9mm may be better (and lighter). I don't expect that to change the cost much.
Hose is a good quality hose for cooling systems, I can get a few different brands through work
STRAIGHT RADIATOR HOSE STD EXITFLEX PP2008 - 1-1/2IN X 3FT - Powell Industrial
Not completely sold on the clamps yet, see the pictures for a few I have sourced to compare. These are all shown on heater hose, the blue is an original, the shiny gold one is one from china (got a few different ones to compare), the worm drive is the Norma one I posted up earlier. None of the Chinese ones have the clamp force of the originals even though they are the same size and thickness, so their out. The worm drive hose clamp is nice, good quality and has some "spring" but it doesn't seem to tighten up as evenly around the hose as the original style. Norma also do one like the original style. A little dearer but probably worth the extra $$. I will get one to compare.
There is also a T-bolt style hose clamp. Excellent clamps, nice wide band, you can do them up tight, but probably a little over kill for this application, and do not have the "spring" like the originals.
Prices are an estimate at this stage until I can get my pipes out to copy.
Complete kit will come in at ~$480-500. For people not in SEQ, probably best to freight to one location in each capital city to combine freight. Estimate of ~$80 (price per shipment give or take a bit depending how many are combined)
I was hoping for a little less, but that's where it's at currently. So, for all those who have replied and are still interested, I will start to make a list of names. If your no longer keen, let me know and I will leave you off
As a comparison, I only find one local supplier (Mick Motors) with a set in stock, I was quoted $1007. Van café have them on special currently $US270, freight is $US275 (so ~$733). Looking at quite a few other over seas sites ~$US300 seems to be the going price for them.
One other point, as my pipes are original plastic, I will need to nominate where the join goes(fairly simple), get one set made and confirm they fit in nicely, so I will need to plan on my bus being off the road for a bit. As the plastic ones are flexible, their rest shape out of the bus may not be perfect. (unless some one has a set of SS ones not installed to copy)
If this goes well I will look to do the same for the 2WD pipes also.