# "VOE" Exhaust - Bear's Version



## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Some of you probably know that for a very brief period of time, 1970 GTO's could be optioned with somthing called "Vacuum Operated Exhaust" - VOE. It consisted of special mufflers that had vacuum operated diaphragms on them that the driver could control via switch to, shall we say, make the car sound "more interesting". You can find on Youtube a commercial that aired back in the day, titled 'The Humbler'. The factory pulled the option very quickly.

I've recreated on my car something similar. Although it's not the same as the original option, it's true to the spirit of what it was about.

Here's a video where I tested it today. Enjoy


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

SWEET!!! that outta open some eyes at the drive in burger joint...


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

I think I have a new ringtone for my phone. 

I thought it sounded [email protected] though the muffs but when you open up the cutouts..... pure sex dude. That'll rattle some windows! :cheers

What kinda mufflers? They sound good and that cam is just lopen it's @ss off.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Thanks guys :cheers

Alky those are Pypes Race Pro mufflers. According to them, they're the quietest ones they have but also the ones that flow the best. How they pull that off I don't know, but they're sort of cool in how they seem to work. At idle, low load, they're fairly quiet, but when you hit it they almost seem to "open up". The motor wasn't completely warm in the video so it was loping a little more than it does once it gets up to temp, but even then it still has a good bit of attitude. That's a Comp Cams "Mr. P-Body special" solid roller. What I like so far is the way it seems to instantly respond to throttle movement, and also the nice wiiiiiiide torque curve it has across the sweet part of the rpm range. 

Ya know? Sometimes I get a little discouraged because it seems like I'm "never" going to get this thing together. Listening to it run always helps get me out of that funk 

Bear


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## Pontiacpurebrred (Jun 22, 2011)

Bear,

I have no speakers on my computer here at work 

So...I pulled it up on my handy dandy smartphone, cause dang it I was not gonna miss this! 

That sounds completely BAD @$$ love that set up. I may need to compare notes with you about your "driver control system" ... I love good old American ingenuity. 

And I am glad you find subtle ways to make it through your moments of sadness and blues. I just go out and hop in my 2005 GTO, leave a little rubber here and there and dream. :cheers

Very Nice my friend, Very Nice!

Scott


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Bear, Sounds sweet.....leave 'em open and you won't have to worry about a "sound System"! arty: Eric


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Sweet!! :cheers


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

That's TOO MUCH!! Now you can sound just like Popey Doyle in his Pontiac LeMans during the car chase in The French Connection when he's rolling along at about 105mph underneath the "L" in Chicago......Excellent. BTW, if you guys go to youtube and enter "Humbler GTO" you can watch the commercial from '70. Pretty juvenile, but waaaaay cool. Bear, get out and drive that Black Bomber!!!


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

Sounds really good. What is the difference in your setup and say electric cutouts? I never heard of vacuum controlled cutouts. Pretty cool though.


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## DukeB-120th (Oct 19, 2009)

BEAR THAT IS JUST TOO SLICK, MY FRIEND. :cool


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

Hot_Rod said:


> Sounds really good. What is the difference in your setup and say electric cutouts? I never heard of vacuum controlled cutouts. Pretty cool though.


I believe those are electric. VOE was a factory option in 70 only. They reproduce the VOE mufflers now but they are very pricey and Bears system is probably cheaper (but not "cheap") and _definitely_ more effective. 

Is it the new Z06 or ZR1 vette that offers a similar exhaust system now? Pretty cool Pontiac was 40 years ahead of the Corvette :lol:.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Thanks for all the kind words guys. 

Hey Hot Rod, those -are-electric cutouts on my car. That's why I said "Although it's not the same as the original option, it's true to the spirit of what it was about."

The original VOE system got pulled by GM after 



.

Here's a 



 that has the genuine VOE system on it. Man, what a sweet sounding car!

For all you guys who have or have experience with the "late model" GTO's: are you aware that GM/Pontiac put a considerable amount of effort into engineering the exhaust system to try to get the LS in those cars to mimic the sound of the original GTO? Those cars had a sound like no other. Brian (Instg8ter) says his daughter has already learned how to recognize a Pontiac by its exhaust note alone.

There's a company that has started making reproduction versions of the original system available here.

If I can find a compatible switch, I hope to mount the control switch in my car and put a Pontiac knob on it to make it look the same is the one in the car in the oriiginal commercial. The one that came in the kit is a momentary contact rocker switch. Hold it "up" to open, "down" to close. I think what I'll need is either a "push/pull" that's momentary contact in both directions, or a "side to side" rotary that's the same.

Bear


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

Ahh ok, cool. 

My '96 firebird had an electric cutout on it and man was it fun.  Had a stock muffler after the cutout, ran stealth most of the time and when some punk wanted to mess with me all it took was a flip of the switch to change his mind. LOL!

I like the mufflers on yours tho, I'm thinking of switching from my flowmasters to those you have. The ones you have are pypes but you said theres a certain kind you have? I'd like the same ones you have.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Hot_Rod said:


> I like the mufflers on yours tho, I'm thinking of switching from my flowmasters to those you have. The ones you have are pypes but you said theres a certain kind you have? I'd like the same ones you have.


Thanks sir --- so far I like them too but since the car isn't "on the road" yet I've got no idea whether or not they're going to "drone". That drone sound is fun - for about 10 minutes - then it just gets annoying.

The mufflers I have are Pypes "Race Pro". When I was looking they had 3 different mufflers available with the system I bought. You can see a summary of them all at their site - here.

Bear


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

Drone doesnt bother me since its the toy anyways. Hell drone isnt bad as long as it sounds good.  

Now on a daily driver, yeah drone isnt so much of a good thing. 

What a cool option though, I see why it was quickly done away with though... Sound police arent always a fan of loud race cars. Haha...


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

For me, the cutouts would be especially useful when sitting at the traffic light. I'd open them up to drown out the thumping bass of the (C)rap music being blasted from the ghettomobile in the next lane being driven by the guy with all the tattoos on his neck.....As an observation, I drove a friend's '67 GTO with the same electric cutouts, and because of the way they faced, it wasn't bad from the driver's seat. Loud as heck behind the car, though, in a "good" way!!!!


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