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Well, I did it.  Thanks to all of you out there who recommended snips for
the job... stupid me, I never even checked the gauge on that stainless
sheet before I went to the welding shop so didn't realize it was only .023"
thick.  I could have saved us from this whole thread <g>.  

Anyway, to be a little more precise, for those of you out there who are
going to cut out that firewall SS someday, let me recommend (and second the
motion on) a sure-fire system.  First of all, create a cardboard template
that fits _exactly_ where the SS ultimately goes.  Trace around the edge of
the cardboard with a really fine marker and cut with a pair of Wiss offset
shears... don't even bother with regular tin snips or standard aviation
shears... I tried both and was very unhappy with the effort involved.  The
offset shears (tool number M6R or M6L) allows the material to pass freely
over & under the cutting edges while both of the handles stay above the
work.  Makes it a piece of cake.  I did put on a pair of leather gloves
before starting and never even got as much as a single nick.  I also found
that I was able to fine tune the fit using the same shears, as they would
cut a 1/32" curl from around the edge without any trouble at all.  No
filing, no stock in band-aids, and a very nice smooth edge.  If it was
going to be exposed at all I suppose I would file the edges, but since it
fits so nicely into the firewall opening I'm just going to glue it up with
the silicone and be done with it.  Total time expended, including creating
the cardboard template... just under an hour.  Actual cutting time on the
stainless, including final trimming and getting a perfect fit, about 25
minutes.  Not a bad deal.

   <Marv>