Airbag replacement
 

does anyone know the approxamate cost of replacing both front airbags in a 1997 f150?

When I had mine replaced in my 2000 F150 the total for both was a little over a grand. But that was at the dealer body shop, might be able to find them for less. I've seen some airbags on e-bay, not sure if thats a good way to go.
Hope that helps.

Dont forget you will have other problems to deal with too, like the RCM, clockspring, crash sensors, etc if they have deployed.