You are right they are cheap, but mine are surprisingly in really good condition. I have read about some people having trouble when pulling the seals, so I may just leave them in and tape them off when I polish the lowers.
Turns out taking the fork apart is a 5 min job with hughs instructions, so it wouldnt be hard to replace them in the future if mine fail or I just decide to.
Im contemplating how much to chop the springs though. I did have a bit of fork sag when pulling the front brake when the bike was stock. Maybe cut the spring just 2" rather than the full 3". Is that to much of a difference? Any input on this would be great.