lakester headers on the lakes/salt

Another day gone by in Afghanistan...another day of day dreaming and in general thoughts about traditional rods with a case of salt fever. Here is a thought Ive had for a while: I want to run lakes styled headers on my '29, but on the same token after searching a ton of vintage pictures I have saved from Bonneville and the dry-lakes, it seems to me that not too many ran them. On the same note, I do have a strong appreciation for hood sides with louvers and/or speed blisters.

Back to the lake header now. Have I saved all the wrong pics? If anyone has vintage pics or pics of restored original lakes cars running lakes/lakester headers I would appreciate it....and yes, I have used the search function.

 

I guess what Im getting at...besides pics, were they not very popular? Did most racers believe back that the aerodynamics of hood sides out weighed headers coming out at the cowl?

 

The ideas about racing at the lakes are as varied as the cars. Within the rules, there are no rules. Two nearly identical cars may have very few things in common, each builder using his own ideas.

 

If you are in Afghanistan and serving our Country Good Bless You and Thank you

 

what he said. thank you.

 

lake headers definitley existed in the early days. They weren't as common as today and guys were constanly experimenting with different designs and lengths. The style wasn't quite as "refined" as the ones that we manufacturer in our Patriot Brand today, but they did exiest
Here are some early types







Longer version


These are pretty much all Flatheads so they are much lower in the chassis than where they come out on most Overheads.

 

cal-neva-13 by Jimmy Bs 1925 Chev, on Flickr


cal-neva-41 by Jimmy Bs 1925 Chev, on Flickr


vogel by Jimmy Bs 1925 Chev, on Flickr










27t-roadster by Jimmy Bs 1925 Chev, on Flickr






LeRoy-Titus by Jimmy Bs 1925 Chev, on Flickr

 

Charles Scott's roadster probably has the best looking-practical headers '47-'49

 

Back then they were made out of '36 Ford driveshafts, old exhaust pipe, lengths of bedstand tubing, pretty much anything that could direct the gasses out and away. Function over form usually.

Today's prefab "Lake Headers" are very cliche and peg you immediately somewhere in the 2000's era.

 

Today's prefab "Lake Headers" are very cliche and peg you immediately somewhere in the 2000's era.[/QUOTE]

So what about zoomies?

 

Except they have been around and popular since the 1980's

 

I stand corrected! Stick a Tom Petty tape into the deck and cruise in traditional style!

 

I've noticed the same thing. I think, for a lot of the guys at least, their 'lakes' car was also their 'only' car. They'd drive it out to the dry lakes, take off the headlights and windshield, drop the exhaust pipe out of the muffler, go see how fast it would go, then put it all back together and drive it home. I think most of their driving was done on the street.

 

Now that's funny!

 

The "refined" styling of todays lake headers looks alright on some vehicles. Doesn't someone fabricate ones that have that torque tube appearance to them? Keep the pics rolling if ya got em. Believe me....stuff like this makes the time much better over this way. I hope I'm back by this fall....would love to swing through Bonneville at speed week to re-stir the salt fever I have, then get home and get busy on my '29....or my belly tank.....realistically it should be my '29 first.

 

Check out Gear drive speed & custom . He can make a kit for you with brand new 36 ford style tubes... His kits are awsome... I built a kit from him all though I did not opt for the 36 tubes... heres a link
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=755915

 

Paul Scheifer's T ^^

 

This car never ran the lakes, but the "lakes" headers a BEAUTIFUL, want to get as close as I can to these when I build headers for my car.



And I agree, the commercially available modern lakes headers dont even REMOTELY resemble anything I see on period cars.

 

Nothing beats the sound of lakes headers in my opinion, but when you've beat the bushes and scrounged around in your honey hole, or spend countless hours browsing epay and craigslist looking for the right parts....something so visible should look like it was fabricated many of moons ago as well, and to me the "refined style" just feels off beat.

 

Your very welcome! I'm on a different side of the fence this time, but had 5 combat deployments with the Army during my career. Guess I cant stay away, but I'm still helping the warfighter and the cause.

 

I was thinking how much more "refined", graceful and restrained the period ones in these photos look compared to the modern exagerrated "look how bad-ass I am" versions with short pipes, huge tapers and 4" ends.

 

So what about zoomies?[/QUOTE]

They just peg you as a dork...

 

I struggled with this too... I ended up doing what best fit around the other components because I realized they were just doing the same... it wasn't an art form it was a function... you do the best with what you have and I don't think they did it any differantly... build it with 35-36 torque tubes if you what it more authentic... I posted the process and listed suppliers in this thread...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=431579



As mentioned... long and low is more traditional... I would have loved to have went that route but it wasn't an option

 

Really like the work on the hood side panel. very nice.

 

Bakan from another angle. Pure art in metal...

 

I think this is close to what I'm gonna do on my boat tail....

 

then again, these are very much like the Modern Lakester's and they were done in 1956

 

Cool!! Let's see the pic of them from 1956!

 

OK

 

then again, these are sorta like the Modern Lakester's and they were done in 1956
[/QUOTE]

there we go, fixed it...