Good thinking Mac. Not just the soot everywhere but it also makes you a target for every jack-arse that wants to try to race you, rev at you, etc. I had people put trash in them. It also makes you a target for law enforcement, and with the Cal emissions thing, it's just unwanted attention. You'll be thankful you didn't.
There is also a secondary problem with stacks that I learned about during a "One Minute Maintenance Tip" on the Midnight Trucking Radio Show. It dealt with the semis, but I think it would also apply to any truck. In that tip they warned that if you ever have to have your vehicle towed, make sure you cover the opening on the stacks. If you don't, air could travel down the stack, through open valves and all the way back to the turbo and cause it to spin. If the engine isn't running, the turbo isn't being lubricated, which could result in turbo wear and failure down the road.
That's as viable on a pickup as it is a Tractor, farm or highway. I've seen several farm tractors that happened to. I have wayyyy too many trees to dodge to have stacks. I can't hardly keep CB/10 meter antennae on my trucks, let alone what it would do to stacks!!!!
stax are cool