P
Patman
Chad one thing to think about is if you are going to have any weld joints if you weld 304 with 308 rod the joint will look different, ask me how I know that lol. My sanding and polishing steps are way over kill but when I have done bike pipes or headers I want them as close to perfect as I can get them so then its up to the owner to keep them nice not up to me to fix one tiny scratch on a header flange. A brushed finish can be a beautiful thing but its like a flat black paint job it takes the same amount of prep work just not as much finishing. With the bumpers nickel plated I would be tempted to plate the exhaust that way if you had one little installation scratch it would be a little easier to correct than a polished finish.
Pat
Pat