Dodge Ram Hemi Truck Custom Exhaust - Cut, Weld, Grind, And Go!

Once reattached, the longer length slid perfectly back into place. We angled the cutout to point down and slightly away from the gas tank, helping to better expel the gases as they rounded the bend in the pipe. This would allow superior gains in flow with the electric servo wide open.

Almost ready for the muffler, the passenger-side cutout was readjusted several times to find the proper position for the servo. The butterfly valves feature a protective covering over the electronic motor to guard it from heat, moisture, and the elements.

We loosely reassembled the exhaust system, tucking it up as high as we could before tightening it. The system needed retightening a few days after each exhaust modification, so we tried to ensure clearance from the crossmember and floorboards.

Included in the QTP package, along with all the assembly hardware, are these vintage-looking cutoff plates with chromed wing nuts. If cutting into your factory wire loom doesn't appeal to you, these are a great alternative.

The QTEC electronics come together in the package, but really consist of three sections: the switch, the intermediate cable, and the motor assembly. Since we were going to splice into our wiring, we disconnected the positive battery terminal. Rather than drilling into the floorboards, we ran the cable to the switch up through one of the factory drain holes that we opened up slightly with a drill.

The final placement of the passenger-side butterfly valve was tricky, as the servo protruded so much from the side of the flange. We rotated the cutout inward to allow enough clearance for the electric motor and to keep the operating cable clear of the hot exhaust pipe.

QTP recommends coating the flange with a thin bead of RTV red silicone. This helps to seal the QTEC to the cutout, eliminating unwanted exhaust leakage.

With everything tightened down and buttoned up, the electronically controlled butterflies fully opened up within four seconds of holding open the switch. QTP recommends installing the switch to your vehicle's center console or dashboard, but since we didn't want to permanently alter our truck, we fed our switch up underneath the standard cab's plastic cargo bed behind the split bench.

With our new QTEC cutout system in place, we filled our tank with Rockett Brand's 100-octane fuel and headed to the local track. At 78 mph, we shot the traps with a 9.37-second pass. Though we don't wholly attribute the 0.09-second loss to the cutouts, we know for certain that they made a scene when we uncorked them. And for argument's sake, that's good enough.