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Do you remember Scavenger pipes?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by help-me-honda, May 4, 2013.

  1. help-me-honda
    Joined: Jun 29, 2011
    Posts: 62

    help-me-honda
    Member

    Back when we were kids we would ride our Stingray bikes up to the drug store to get a cherry coke. In the parking lot there would always be a 1965 chevy Impala SS sitting in the parking lot, it was Maroon with black interior. It was a 4-spd car. It had et mags on it and it sat up a little higher in the front. It had on it what I remember called scavenger pipes. they hung down in the back a bit, they were a long straight pipe that looked to be about 10 feet long. We would love to be around when she was to get off work so that we could hear her start it up, it was loud. It was one of those cool cars that stuck in the back of your mind. I guess it was in 1968 so it wasn't very old then. It may not have been a real big fad back then but I do remember a few cars with the pipes. Tim
     
  2. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    There is another rather lengthy thread on that on here some place. I even had one of them on My Nash Metropolitan at one time with rolled up hardware cloth as a baffle until the cotter key holding it in gave out and I blew the baffle out in the middle of town.
     
  3. chubbie
    Joined: Jan 14, 2009
    Posts: 2,336

    chubbie
    Member

    Hi help! yes i do remember scavengers! in fact i'vt tryed to replicate them on my model A. I found a pair of short chrome trumpet ends, and i put them on there long and low! I don't think any one that has looked at it even know what they are! i would love to find some 24" ones so they would look more period correct.
     
  4. aojo
    Joined: Dec 21, 2010
    Posts: 144

    aojo
    Member

    It was a pretty big fad in No. Cal at least and dates back to the late 50s. But I recall the cars had a lowered front end and the pipe would attach almost directly to the muffler and run straight under the frame and rear end. That way one could see a lot of the pipes. The entire length was chromed and the exit end was flared a bit. The sound was pretty nice.
     

  5. No Plan
    Joined: Nov 2, 2008
    Posts: 254

    No Plan
    Member

    Yes, and the bottom of the car was usually painted white with it lowered in front so you could see it all from the rear. Extremely cool!
     
  6. olcurmdgeon
    Joined: Dec 15, 2007
    Posts: 2,289

    olcurmdgeon
    Member

    Early 60s in my first hot rod, a '47 Ford tudor with a 283" in it, I had scavenger pipes from the mufflers exiting under the axle housings. Car sat with a rake, 6:70-15 on front, 8:20-15 from a Chrysler on the rear. Had seen scavenger pipes in all the magazines showing West Coast cars back then. Bear in mind I grew up in little town in upstate NY. So I figured I was cool! Until I cruised the short street that made up our Main Street, and right by the drugstore where everyone went for the soda fountain, I lost a muffler and scavenger on one side and ran over it to boot! Ah the humiliations of adolescence. My one and only scavenger pipe experience.
     
  7. BOBCRMAN
    Joined: Nov 10, 2005
    Posts: 846

    BOBCRMAN
    Member
    from Holly

    In nothern Michigan. The cars were lower in the front, till the 62-65 Mopars arrived on the scene. They were always jacked way up in front..

    I had a Studebaker with the long chrome pipes under the axle and also a 65 Falcon Sprint. Thats the way we built them. ;)
     
  8. Atwater Mike
    Joined: May 31, 2002
    Posts: 11,625

    Atwater Mike
    Member

    Yep. San Jose was real big on scavengers...They came in 4 foot lengths, chrome. Belled on one end, 3/8" radius.
    Available in 1-3/4", 2", 2-1/4", and 2-1/2".
    They were erroneously called 'Cheaters', (I think someone pointed to the rear of something fast and said, "Lookit the Cheaters," meaning a pair of cheater slicks, and the observer saw the scavengers...)

    It might have been muffler slang, too. Replacing tailpipes with some straight tubes under the axle would have been 'cheating' on the larger expense/labor...Just install a pair o' 'cheaters'...

    I had the 2-1/2" on my '56 Ford ragtop, dropped in front, scavengers were near level to the ground...I had them 'S' turned inward from the mufflers, so they'd be 14" apart...extended 20" past the rear axle housing.
    They looked like they went forever... but were 48" long. Made a roar that only intensified with RPM...
    I bought mine at Babe's Muffler service, the coolest place in town.
    On the receipt it was listed:

    2- 'S' turns

    2- 2-1/2" WEINERS I liked that... Sounded 'sausage-like'.
     
  9. xix32
    Joined: Jun 12, 2008
    Posts: 593

    xix32
    Member

    Yes, I remember must have been the summer of `60 or `61. I was still a kid of about 12 then, and I would see a really cool custom ( nearly new car then) `59 chevy Impala 2dr hardtop parked in the street next to our house in Addison, IL visiting the teenage girl next door. It was light metalic blue with blue and white pleated interior, had a big white pleated diamond in the center of the huge rear package tray those cars had. think it had a tube grill for a nice clean uncluttered look. had an excessive rake with both the front lowered and the rear raised up. with those very noticeable chrome scavenger pipes showing, that passed straight under the rear axle. the vision I have of seeing that car parked there offten is what may have inspired me to become interested in street customs and hot rods.
     
  10. Stay tuned, new ones will be available soon!
     
  11. bobbyb
    Joined: Jun 28, 2009
    Posts: 151

    bobbyb
    Member
    from ohio

    This picture was taken so straight on that you can't see the bell (or trumpet) end on the pipes, but I think this is what you're talking about.
     

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  12. young'n'poor
    Joined: Jan 26, 2006
    Posts: 1,281

    young'n'poor
    Member
    from Anoka. MN

    I've contemplated this look for my galaxie, but I'm curious how they sound. Anybody have any video clips? YouTube was pretty unhelpful. It would be different and it's a look I like.
     
  13. Mid to late 50's in southern California. My older sister's boy friend had them on his shoebox Ford. His, as I recall, were hooked up to cut-outs just ahead of the mufflers.
     
  14. When I bought my 57 Safari it had a set of 48" scavengers along with a pair of old Thrush mufflers in the car.Mounted on the car was another set of scavengers with a pair of GTO resonators for mufflers.they had the Thrushes on but were apparently too loud so they went to resonators.Car sounds great with them.
     
  15. I'm in!
     
  16. buikwag
    Joined: Apr 21, 2005
    Posts: 472

    buikwag
    Member
    1. Buick Nailheads

    I had four of the all chrome 4 footers hangin under my 53 Chevy convertible in the early 60's was a big fad in SoCal back then.
     
  17. paladin138
    Joined: Feb 28, 2007
    Posts: 9

    paladin138
    Member
    from dewey,ok

    I remember them. Lotta cars in Colorado Springs had them. There was even a car club called "The Scavengers".
     
  18. R Pope
    Joined: Jan 23, 2006
    Posts: 3,309

    R Pope
    Member

    Popular in Vancouver (BC) in the early 60's. I recall a maroon '40 Ford 2 door sedan with a dago tilt and eight scavengers sticking out below the rear axle.
     
  19. My 57 chevy convertible in 1967 had corvair turbo mufflers and long scavengers ending just past the rear axle. 283 sounded really good with that combo.
     
  20. flattrap
    Joined: Mar 17, 2007
    Posts: 122

    flattrap
    Member

    Russ Meeks makes them! Finishline coatings (503)659-4278
     
  21. coppertone
    Joined: Apr 10, 2006
    Posts: 129

    coppertone
    Member

    They are available from www.koolrides.com Arkansas City, Kansas. Bought mine from them 3 years ago. They have 48" and 8"
     
  22. 29AVEE8
    Joined: Jun 28, 2008
    Posts: 1,384

    29AVEE8
    Member


    Seems like we called them "Cheaters" around here.
     
  23. coppertone
    Joined: Apr 10, 2006
    Posts: 129

    coppertone
    Member

    Tried to get the picture in the first reply.
     

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  24. tommy
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 14,757

    tommy
    Member Emeritus

    My east coast definition of them had the car jacked up in the ass end with air shocks and the 4 foot chromed tubes running under the rear end with belled ends. I took my first hot rod to the exhaust shop with a pair. He overruled me and he ran the tail pipes over the axle an out the back under the bumper. Not what I wanted but I was too eager to drive to argue. Today I don't think I would like the look. Too old I guess.
     

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