i have cutouts on my 1980 camaro, i have a 350, 4-bolt main engine... pretty much all stock except for i have hooker longtubes.

my question is; is having the cutouts open all the time bad for the engine??

 

No, not usually. If your tuning is dialed in for use with the dumps open you'll be fine. If it's dialed in to run best with the dumps closed you might find it's a little off with them open, but it won't be a huge difference, usually, unless your closed exhaust is very restrictive.

 

For what its worth, I had my 4th gen chassis dyno'd with the cutouts open, and with them corked. This is with a full Mac system from Heaqders to tips, and no cat. I actually LOST 8hp with them open...