Sometimes being a trend-setter can be a curse. When they debuted, LH-chassis cars like the Intrepid and Chrysler 300M were visually cutting-edge automobiles that looked more like road-going Le Mans prototypes than commuter sedans. Time and trends may march on, but these cars remain just as good at everything they were good at when new.
Head gaskets themselves aren't particularly expensive -- perhaps $100 for the pair at 2013 prices. Getting to them though, means tearing half the engine apart, and that's where you're spending your money in parts and labor. A full upper-end gasket set that includes the head gaskets, intake gaskets and everything else you'll need to replace them will run you about $250; add another $75 at least for oil, fluids and sealants. So, call it $325 to $350 in parts.
Shops determine labor costs according to "book time," which is how much time a job should take for the average mechanic. Multiply that by the shop's hourly rate, and you've got the labor cost for the procedure. The book time for replacing one head gasket is 7.4 to 7.9 hours, and you can expect to pay 9.4 of book time for both. Most shops currently charge $65 to $100 an hour, so labor will run you about $480 to $740 for one head gasket, and $610 to $940 for both. So, adding together parts and labor, expect to spend between $935 and $1,300 to have both head gaskets replaced.
