i've been hot rodding for 45 years bit i have a question about lake pipes..i have a set on my 49 dodge business coupe...the question is ..in the early days were they for customs only or did hot rods have them...i know it about what you want on your car but from history point of view i was wondering where they started
I've heard that they had to something with Bonneville, hence the name "Lake Pipes" and then later, they became popular to use on Customs. That's the story I've heard.
Google has some interesting answers, similar to your answer, and one that says they were made by company called 'Lake'. Comments that they are actually correctly called 'side pipes'. I'm sure some who were there will comment.
I associate lake pipes with customs and cut-outs or "sneaker" plugs on hot-rods. That's just my take. I've never heard that they may have originally been manufactured by a company called Lake. That's interesting though, would like to hear more if anyone knows. Never been a big fan of lake pipes, especially the triple outlet variety, guess I'm kind of a minimalist.
Should be called "leg" pipes, cause you are going to burn your leg sooner or later. Got mine yesterday wiping the windshield off.
Wonder how many older ladies still carry scars on their calves from those mid-year Corvettes. Even with heat shields they were still dangerous....................and guys as well, if they were wearing shorts.......or dresses.
The term "lakes pipes" comes from the practice of installing exhaust cut-outs on street-driven hot rods which were weekend raced at El Mirage and other California dry lakes before and after WWII. The cut-outs were uncapped at the lakes by removing the screwed-in or bolted-on plugs, which is where the term "lakes plugs" originated. Some of the evolutions which came after were interesting and tasteful, others like the "kickstand" shorties were just plain hideous. And please, people, don't rely on Google and Wikipedia for hot rod history. Go to the real experts - the publications of the time and those written by individuals like Don Montgomery who were actually there in the early days.
Personally,I think of them more as a custom accessory piece and more often than not they were non functional. HRP
I always associated 'lakes pipes' with a set of headers that typically came out the side of the engine bay or out just under the front frame rails - with sort sort of removable block-off plate to 'Un Cork' them while on the lakes or racing in general. Way back in the day, many lakes pipes were made from what I believe were 36 Ford Torque Tubes - as they had a gradual 'megaphone' shape and you could get them at junk yards to cut/fabricate your lakes pipes from. They were designed to come above the frame rails - as you either had no hood at all, or no hood sides. When you had them 'corked', the exhaust flowed through a down pipe that went back under the frame rails and went to traditional dual mufflers that ran under the car in a normal fashion. I associate what you're talking about with 'side pipes' - which were much more of a 'custom thing' and to me completely different than lakes pipes.
"Lakes pipes" came in the AMT model kits I bought in the late 50s, early 60s and always in the "custom" kits. Some of the hotrod kits had the shorties. In my town, nobody ran 'em on anything. Tube grills were huge....spotlights were sometimes run but those ugly non-functional "lakers" were only seen on some magazine cars and model kits. Continental kits were seldom seen too.
.......................They were pretty common in the South probably because of the proximity to the Honest Charley mail order house in Chattanooga.
Mine were 2" threaded nipples welded to the exhaust near the bell housing. Typically they were angled slightly backward and had 2" stainless caps (courtesy of my dad) with a bar across them. You grabbed them with a rag from under the seat (not that one the other one) and unscrewed them and put them on the back floorboard. I had some serious mufflers on my street racer...so the uncapped exhaust helped All that chrome lake pipe stuff was just for "posers"!
You're exactly right - brain fade! I think headers made out of Torque Tubes might just weigh a bit much!
I built my L88 powered 67 StingRay in 1970 and Hooker used my car to build these sidepipes and the Sweet girl across the street has one of those calf burns to remember me by. I wonder if she is alive? Don't have a clue! getting old.
I put "lake plugs" on my 57 Chevy in high school. Came out just behind each front wheel. Just chrome "dump" plugs, not the full side pipes. Think I got them from Honest Charley? I was a tender 18 years, and thought they were cool. Didn't seem to help the little 283 run any harder though. What the hell does anyone know at 18?? .
Yeah I remember it too, wanted mine to look that good (never did and still doesn't). Also had L88 with 4:11 and Hooker pipes, one reason I don't hear so well today.
HRP nailed it what we call "LakesPipes" are not a hot rod item and never have been a hot rod item they have always been a custom accessory. And much like dummy spots were never intended to be hooked up or function. They did run dumps @ the lakes and on many other hot rod type cars though.
My first car was a deep maroon 49 Dodge coupe with the back seat. A Coronet. Man I wanted side pipes on it too!
Your plugs remind me of a statement I heard at the HAMB drags last year, one of the Pharos was uncorking the headers on his old Pontiac and said, "it won't make it any faster but it'll be loud." I have known the car and the man for about 15 years now give or take and he was absolutely correct.
Agree with Gene Boul in post #15. Threaded pipe welded to exhaust with screw on caps (Dumps) actually picked you up in a quarter mile drag. Most serious street racers in our area ran them. They were welded on exhaust pipe so that you had a straight exit to the ground without traveling through any bends. "Lakes" pipes were a custom or wannabe accessory.
Man, Ive always loved those late sixties/seventies modified gen 1/2 stingrays with the Hooker/Kustom side pipes, flared fenders, ansens or 200S's wild paint and rumblin, stumblin solid lifter BB's. If I could round up a rough garage find '68/'71 for cheap, Id do it in a heartbeat. NASTY cars. If you dont get it, well you had to be there...
I recently built rockers with a cove to hold some NOS 1959 unicorn ribbed pipes on the ranch- they will be functional and removable with seat belt buttons. Used mid sixties cadillac seatbelt female ends in the rocker with the male part welded to the pipe- ended up putting in new inner and outer rocker and quarter at the same time. Wanted to be able to clean behind them. I'll be honest I've been on the fence regarding side pipes because they fall in the category of dummy spots etc... but I have a vision and these are part of that vision for the ranch. I wanted to build them in- didnt like how they looked hung below the rocker. There are some 40's fords in the littlebooks that had short little lake pipes sometimes more than one ripping out behind the front tire... dig that a lot- plan on making some for my wifes 41 ford.
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