Growing up doesn't have to suck
- Thread starter iamdub
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iamdub
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Finally wired up the cutout.
Drilled a ~1/4" hole in the grommet for the trans shifter cable and slipped the wire through. It's either 12 or 14 gauge two-conductor with thick insulation inside a heavy duty jacket. It was a tight fit through that grommet, so it's self-sealing. I routed it along the cable then up behind the dash to the headlight switch:
...Followed the factory harness using plenty of zip-ties:
Used female spade connectors since the cutout already had male spades on it. They fit together very tightly. I covered them in heat shrink then wrapped it all tightly with 3M Super33+:
Coiled about 10" of slack just in case then zip-tied it to the cross member:
Forgot pics, but I drilled a hole in the back wall of the useless cubby next to the headlight/domelight controls and ran the wires through that. The switch is just kinda tucked into that cubby for now. For power, I tapped into the fuse block on the left side of the dash and used a self-drilling screw to make a ground in the metal frame of the dash. I wanna grab a spare headlight switch panel assembly from the salvage yard to modify rather than cut up my stock one.
Drilled a ~1/4" hole in the grommet for the trans shifter cable and slipped the wire through. It's either 12 or 14 gauge two-conductor with thick insulation inside a heavy duty jacket. It was a tight fit through that grommet, so it's self-sealing. I routed it along the cable then up behind the dash to the headlight switch:
...Followed the factory harness using plenty of zip-ties:
Used female spade connectors since the cutout already had male spades on it. They fit together very tightly. I covered them in heat shrink then wrapped it all tightly with 3M Super33+:
Coiled about 10" of slack just in case then zip-tied it to the cross member:
Forgot pics, but I drilled a hole in the back wall of the useless cubby next to the headlight/domelight controls and ran the wires through that. The switch is just kinda tucked into that cubby for now. For power, I tapped into the fuse block on the left side of the dash and used a self-drilling screw to make a ground in the metal frame of the dash. I wanna grab a spare headlight switch panel assembly from the salvage yard to modify rather than cut up my stock one.
Last edited:
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iamdub
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Went for a test drive and made a couple of videos:
The revved while parked one was only to about 3,000 RPM. I definitely have a small exhaust leak and I think it may be where the shaft in the cutout goes through the tube for the gear drive. Not much I can do about that.
The revved while parked one was only to about 3,000 RPM. I definitely have a small exhaust leak and I think it may be where the shaft in the cutout goes through the tube for the gear drive. Not much I can do about that.
Sam Harris
Supporting Member
Awesome. I’d like to do this sometime. Sounds good man!
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iamdub
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With a cutout, my first word of advice is "you get what you pay for"!
I'm not saying I'm disappointed in mine. I'm not at all. It has met my expectations for a $100 ebay deal. But, I see some design characteristics that a more expensive one probably doesn't have. On the flip side, it's the only dual valve design I've ever seen, so it's not like I had the option to buy a higher-quality alternative. I'm pondering ways to make a much nicer, much better-sealed one from a pair of throttle bodies. I just gotta get to the salvage yard to dig around.
BourbonNcigars
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Nice work, Chris. I've seen electronic cutouts for my car and would love it, but I'm under warranty for another 62K miles. Not brave enough to jeopardize that in any way.
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iamdub
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Thank ya! Good to see you around.
They're definitely not worth voiding a warranty over. i just wanted it for fun.
I've also been opening and closing it at various cruising speeds/RPM to see if it affects my instant MPG. As expected, I've noticed nothing. This means, as expected, my muffled side isn't a restriction at all.
BourbonNcigars
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Man I'm always around. I lurk a lot to make sure everyone's behaving. My biggest complaint about my car is lack of exhaust note inside the cabin. I mean I love the isolation most of the time, but you can tell that engine has so much more to offer with regards to aural stimulation. Electronic cutouts would be perfect. But oh well. Yours sounds great.
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iamdub
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Made a couple more to document MPG. As always, 70 MPH is still my sweet spot for balancing highway speed and acceptable MPG:
I lose about 1-2 MPG taking it up to 75 MPH. I opened the cutout on this one for sound comparison. It's not bad at all, just creates a deep background humming. But, give it more throttle and your kidneys rattle:
I lose about 1-2 MPG taking it up to 75 MPH. I opened the cutout on this one for sound comparison. It's not bad at all, just creates a deep background humming. But, give it more throttle and your kidneys rattle:
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iamdub
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Is there a warranty-abiding intake system for it? My MIT alone emulated a pleasing performance exhaust tone in the cabin, and only when under load so it wasn't obtrusive at all.
