Stock exhaust manifolds to my catless midpipes to my Bassani cat-back mufflers, out the side like a true Gen 2 Lightning.

I don't think ANY Lightning owner would run them out to the back like you're suggesting. In my opinion it would look stupid on a Lightning, especially with the side skirt opening for the exhaust made specifically for the L.

As for having "true duals", the Lightnings already come that way from the factory. Some argue that because the OEM setup has one muffler, it's not a true dual, but it is.

Your question regarding a loss of torque is a valid one. Some guys have reported feeling a slight gain (based on the butt dyno) when they removed their cats, but it was the opposite for me.

I cut my cats off because I love the sound. I have to put a catted midpipe back on whenever it's time to smog my truck, and when I do I always gain a bunch of power back. But I can't stand how quiet it is, so even though removing the OEM catted midpipe makes me slower, I can't yank that thing off of there quick enough and put my straight pipes back on.

Stewart