I want to dump my exhaust out the side of my Lincoln...

Okay, shoot me cuz I'm a loon... But I am thinking about cutting a 3-inch hole in both rear quarter panels on my 71 Lincoln and having the exhaust dump out there. I'm getting ready to put new dual exhaust (w/ crossover pipe and glasspacks) under my car, but I don't want pipes coming out the back. I don't care for the look of 'em and the last dual exhaust Lincoln I owned had the pipes like that and the tips were crushed when the car got towed. When the car was drug up the ramp of the flatbed tow truck, the exhaust tips got smushed between the ground and the lower edge of the rear bumper. My idea is to use a fine-toothed 3-inch hole saw bit and cut a hole in the quarter panel, behind the rear wheels. The hole will be a little bit bigger than the O.D. of the exhaust tip. I can have a couple stainless steel circular flange plates made up locally to cover the rim of the quarter panel hole. The way I picture it in my head, is that the chrome exhaust tips will project straight out from the holes about an inch. I don't have to worry about emissions tests where I live, and the exhaust sound isn't a problem either. Any suggestions about my idea, any pro's or con's? Just for background info, this will be on a 71 Lincoln Coupe that is by no means a collector car, its just a car I love to drive and I can do just about anything custom to it without regret. I personally think that having a nice, shiny side-dump dual exhaust will look great on my old black bomber! Tell me what you all think...

Michael

Do it, sounds great. but paint the edge of the cut with something to keep the rust back. I personally like this kind of custom touches.

I already planned on sealing the cut edges, but thanks for reminding. Now I am thinking about going with a twin tip, instead of a single and maybe having them project from the car a bit further for a more aggressive look. Below is a pic of the style I am thinking of, what do you think...

Habe a look how they did it on Corvettes (1963-67) and Mustangs (64-66).
It easy and simple. With just 1 inch outside the body you might have a problem with the exhaust-gases. After a short time your paint will be black.

I guess I'm lucky that my car is painted black already:p , I will check the cars you mentioned to get some ideas about how they did it back in the day. I was thinking about maybe flipping the tips shown in the pic above upside down so that the exhaust would be directed towards the pavement. I might take the Linc in today to a local muffler shop to see how doable the whole concept is. I would prefer to have the exhaust tips come out in front of the rear wheels, but the body mods would be extensive to clear the top of the frame rail. The easiest place to do it I think is behind the wheel opening, but I am unsure about how it would look. We'll check that out when I go to the shop. Thanks guys...


Michael

Sorry - this picture is competely out of focus. But you can imagine how it is done on a 63 Split Window Coupe. Check the upper left corner of the pic.
http://www.imageark.net/image.php?id=113386

It is possible to bore a hole thru your frame rails to accomedate the exhaust pipe. The hole in the rail should be sleeved with a piece of tubing. It would be worth the extra effort to get exactly what you want. Settling for second best never has sharpened my pencil. Good luck .

I considered the idea of a sleeved hole thru the frame rail falconstien, and ran it past my Pops. He has extensive repair experience as a heavy-duty truck mechanic/logger and he thinks that the car is so heavy it might hurt the rails to put holes in them. I really don't want to take a chance with something like that, so I am willing to put the exhaust dump behind, rather than in front of the tires. Thanks for the pic Frank, I understand what you meant now.


Michael