Cutout for convertible

[CamaroCracka]

The first phone shows how it's currently installed with three bolts on each side. The second photo shows the front two bolt holes empty and gives you an idea of how far I moved the crossmember back.

[Camby]

Can I ask? What’s the purpose of cutouts? I’ve never heard of this before. Is it for volume? Wouldn’t that stink up the car and raise cabin temperatures having exhaust escape under your car like that?

[CamaroCracka]

Cutouts have been around for a long time and the idea is to reduce exhaust back pressure for racing, similar idea to NPP exhaust except you are eliminating almost the entire exhaust system from the formula. Some guys do find it cool to run around in public with the exhaust wide open. That would be more of a "dig me" thing, but I must admit I used to rev the engine when I dropped my daughter off at high school which is about the same. She used to tell me to stop it with the biggest grin on her face, but I digress. The way today's cutouts are made, I don't think they heat up the floorboards much, but anyone worried about gas fumes or heating up the floorboard would not likely be a good candidate for cutouts.

[pyroguy]

Originally Posted by Camby

Can I ask? What’s the purpose of cutouts? I’ve never heard of this before. Is it for volume? Wouldn’t that stink up the car and raise cabin temperatures having exhaust escape under your car like that?

Primarily entertainment factor. Sometimes it's fun to uncork a cammed V8 at the headers and let her sing. Personally, I have Noweeds diverters (cutout that shuts off the rest of the exhaust when they open, diverting the exhaust to a pure open header) and I have a blast running with them open. At $5/gallon for premium, everyone is going to share in my experience as I burn that expensive fuel. Of course, it is nice to hit the switch and make the car legal when a see a police car nearby. If I sit in my garage I can smell a little bit of fumes, but on the road or even sitting at a stoplight I don't smell anything. Also, I've never felt my floor boards get warm either. The only person I've really heard have an issue was GuitarmageddonZL1. Of course he had a gutted interior, roll cage, cammed, was doing WELL above the speed limit, and had basically redlined the car when his side air bags blew from the open Noweeds. It wasn't the diverter itself that caused it, it was a combination of fully open diverter with gutted interior, cage, and a reverberating air bag sensor at an extra high rate of speed that caused the issue.

Originally Posted by CamaroCracka

Cutouts have been around for a long time and the idea is to reduce exhaust back pressure for racing, similar idea to NPP exhaust except you are eliminating almost the entire exhaust system from the formula. Some guys do find it cool to run around in public with the exhaust wide open. That would be more of a "dig me" thing, but I must admit I used to rev the engine when I dropped my daughter off at high school which is about the same. She used to tell me to stop it with the biggest grin on her face, but I digress. The way today's cutouts are made, I don't think they heat up the floorboards much, but anyone worried about gas fumes or heating up the floorboard would not likely be a good candidate for cutouts.

I have a 3 and a 5 year old, and I love hearing from the backseat, "Daddy, make the Camaro LOUD!". The immediately follow by "Go fast Daddy!" One day they will get tired of their old man, but not today!

[CamaroCracka]

Originally Posted by pyroguy

I have a 3 and a 5 year old, and I love hearing from the backseat, "Daddy, make the Camaro LOUD!". The immediately follow by "Go fast Daddy!" One day they will get tired of their old man, but not today!

Amen Brutha!

[1JEWLDSSRS]

On mine when they are open, I never smelled any difference in the fumes over when they are closed, and as for heating up the floorboards, I don't think that would happen with these cutouts due to the way they are angled a bit downward so the exhaust temps are directed away from the floor, and the car. At least mine are. Also when they are open, my butt dyno does experience a tad more quick throttle response and off the line TQ.. Or it's just my imagination.. lol.

[George-CZ]

Originally Posted by Camby

Can I ask? What’s the purpose of cutouts? I’ve never heard of this before. Is it for volume? Wouldn’t that stink up the car and raise cabin temperatures having exhaust escape under your car like that?

As my friend says..
They are expensive exhaust holes that are completely shit, but it sounds really nice

[George-CZ]

Originally Posted by CamaroCracka

The first phone shows how it's currently installed with three bolts on each side. The second photo shows the front two bolt holes empty and gives you an idea of how far I moved the crossmember back.

I see that you have a different shape of the end cap.
Mine look like this..



You have it nicely done.
But I would shorten the flanges by half, as with mine, due to the crossbar.

[CamaroCracka]

If I had a mig welder, I would have done it custom too. All the pieces I have came directly from QTP except the gaskets and silicone shielding. It was a bolt on effort.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

On the turn downs on the cutout, I found that there are 2 different ones for these QTP's. I bought my kit from Summit Racing and got "their" brand of turn downs and they looked like what George has. I went over a fuel fill cover at a local gas station one day and being my Camaro is so low, it hit the cover real hard and bent the crap out of it because it was lower than the system! So I ordered the correct ones from QTP, which look like the ones cracka has, which are cut at an angle and don't curve down lower like the Summit ones did, no more issues, plus I stay away from fuel fill covers now.

[George-CZ]

Originally Posted by CamaroCracka

If I had a mig welder, I would have done it custom too. All the pieces I have came directly from QTP except the gaskets and silicone shielding. It was a bolt on effort.

Same with me
I put it together this summer with a lot of help from 1JEWLDSSRS.
I was buying the complete QTP suite from Dynosteve.

I shortened the flanges by half and adjusted the bearing surfaces a little. Then I measured it, cut the holes and welded it.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Yes sir!! And you did a magnificent job on the entire application sir!! And I'm glad I could try to explain stuff so you knew what I was talking about without being there. Well done!!

[CamaroCracka]

Originally Posted by George-CZ

Same with me
I put it together this summer with a lot of help from 1JEWLDSSRS.
I was buying the complete QTP suite from Dynosteve.

I shortened the flanges by half and adjusted the bearing surfaces a little. Then I measured it, cut the holes and welded it.

I do like that the motor on the other side of the cut out on yours. The way QTP lays it out creates more opportunity to melt wiring. There was no welding on mine. The pipes and all were QTP. I just cut the s-pipe section off the exhaust and bolted up the QTP pipe.

[acammer]

And here is an alternative ya'll can think about - these are behind the rear axle, where you can get a little more of the noise and smell behind you, versus under you. I never got around to putting valves on these - but they've been open for years and I've never looked back. That whole "axle-back" is gonna get replaced with some Bullets and straight pipes, but for time being (years) this has been great.