Customs Lake pipes or not

Pipes look good. Go with the 80 inchers.

 

Debated lakes pipes on my 53 for several years. Finally went ahead and bought a set a few months ago (70"). Ran them as my only exhaust. Not only did it solve most of my exhaust issues I love the look. I do wish I'd paid attention while ordering and got stainless instead of chrome lol

 

The red Plymouth in your pictures is a 1955, not 1956.

 

The red Plymouth is my 55 but the white one in the old

pictures is the 56.

 

Seriously, I am not trying to be snarky here, but imagine a set of very cool, truly functional
"UNITY SPOTLIGHTS" on a "Kustom" ride, parked next to another cool "Kustom ride, and the "UNITY'S" looking over at the "Appleton" dummy spotlights and saying to themselves,
"we work and look good", and they don't work, or at least appear to be non-functional !

Just sayin.
I happen to agree with the logic in the @Moriarity post!
Thanks from Dennis, for the ability to discuss this.

 

I like the chrome side pipes,on shiny cool cars. Keep working,it's gettinng cooler with each bit of work nice

 

I’m a fan.

 

I've got a set to add to my '52 Ford and they're not quite the full length of the rockers, they're probably 70 inchers like the ones you already had. But I am going to run them and I'm not convinced they need to run the full length of the rockers to look right, I think they just need to be lined up with the bottom of the front fenders, and be long enough that the exit is behind the back of the door opening.

Might even put some spotlights on it too, just to be more like the green car above, which I really, really like the look of.

 

If you notice in the pic of my 53 Chevy mine don't actually run the full length. To run full length I would have needed 76" pipes. So 80" would have had an overhang that'd have looked odd. The 70" pipes stop under the booty bulge of the quarters so it looks right

 

Never wanted a shitbox so bad in my life.

 

If it was my car and I could afford it, I would give them a try for a bit and see if you like it… You could always take them off. This thread has got me thinking hard about whether I need to save for some…

 

Got a picture of your olds? After profile peeking I can't imagine a 55 olds that wouldn't look good with a set

 

The easy way is to run one length of each on either side. You can't see both sides of the car at once. You can tell people that ask, that you are trying to decide which length that you like better.

 

Do it

 

Nice old Plymouth sedan!!!

Hello,

The set up for the lakes pipes looks like it should have been there all along. The length is fine, whether you hook them up to the exhaust outlets or not. We had a set of chrome lakes pipes on my brother’s first car, a 51 Oldsmobile two door sedan. When it was purchased, it was a pale yellow.

To us, it looked heavy and low when he drove it up on our front yard driveway.

It took about a month to decide to lower it, but at the time, our neighborhood muffler shop was having a discount deal on chrome side lakes pipes hooked up to custom down/side exhaust outlets for no extra charge. The long lakes pipes were a good price and to throw in an extra exhaust outlet was a plus.

The muffler guy was an old hot rod guy and had all of the earlier knowledge. So, he was the “go to guy” for all custom muffler/pipes and lowering by cutting springs or replacing the stock springs with new ones, etc. the reversal install of new ones was a normal thing as most teens who lowered their cars eventually raised them back up to a lower than stock, but not low, scrapping to the ground stance. But, we all listened to… “ about 2 inches in front is perfect…” tale.

So, not only did the local muffler guy sell plenty of lakes pipes set ups, he also cornered the market on the cut springs, and the replacement of new springs when the next height was selected.

Jnaki


REAR:

YELLOW: Legal height…lowest point on the car RED: illegal due to below the lowest point on the car.

Front:

Barely legal as set up due to the low pipe is still slightly above the lowest part of the rim.

As most put in these side pipes as accessory items, we did too. But since our neighborhood muffler guy had already installed downward exhaust outlets, it was a simple connection to hook them up and still have legal muffler exits out of the back bumper.

Note:

The yellow Oldsmobile lasted two weeks lowered and with nice chrome side/below the door lakes pipes. The mufflers were still in use, but, if we uncapped the outlet cap, it was loud exhaust noises at all times. It was not a drag racing car, but if and when they raced, the caps always came off. Every little bit helps, if any…

The final legal stance prior to selling it to a good friend who lived in the next block over from our house. The chrome lakes pipes lasted two minor scrapes and when the lowered stance Oldsmobile sedan tried going up the steep driveway of the local drive-in restaurant parking lot hang out. It scraped, unless the whole car went up at a radical angle and we might as well pushed it into the lot, it was so slow.

So, the yellow painted Oldsmobile sedan was low and cool looking for a lowered rake sedan. But, for the whole time of ownership, those chrome lakes pipes were sold to another Chevy sedan that did not get lowered than one coil cut. Now, to solve all of the lowered legalities, an adjustable suspension system is necessary to clear any deep culverts and bumps. With the latest, it should be no problem.

The legal limits are great for safety. Even in modern times, we saw a 4 door 55 Chevy sedan loaded for a young family with beach stuff and the family of 4. It was sitting on deflated melted tires and the lifted trunk lid and opening area on fire. The burning car was being attended to by the CHP and it looked as if a flat tire gave way to scraping and the resulting puncture of the rear gas tank, which caught the whole trunk on fire. The black smoke could be seen for miles over the bridge of the busy I-5 freeway. Why?
thanks to @themoose for the exact memory…
Well, as we experienced with our own teenage cars, a lowered rake car is legal, but when a car is loaded with several teenagers, it now gets lower and perhaps, illegal or not safe at any speeds. My friend from the 57 Bel Air Hot Rod Sedan and I did get stopped several times in my 58 Impala, even with lightweight girls on a double date cruise. The extra weight lowered the whole car down to illegal limits.

But, when we all got out of the car, it rose back up to legal limits and it was fine. YRMV

Note:

For those that use the pipe as the main exhaust and the tip ends before the rear tire, you are in danger of CO poisoning. You don’t smell the CO, but it is there silently acting, not on your behalf. It seeps into the cab even through closed windows. The spinning tires do not make the fumes go away. It lingers and is a danger.

Those side lakes pipes are for show and not any performance advantages other than more CO for everyone. YRMV

 

Had them on my old 51 merc more door.

 

A couple extra pictures for my inspiration. I would love to see the interior shot of this car but can't seem to find anything.

 

Taboo had them back in the day, didnt like the look. Went with lake plugs now.

 

I think the cars looks great without.

 

The pipes showed app, but I don't have time to mount them up today. They do seem the perfect length. I'll see if.
I can pull the car in the shop and get a mock up picture.

 

I mocked them up. And I believe they are the perfect length . hopefully I may have time this weekend to get them mounand see how I like them.

 

Yup they fit that car perfectly.

 

Absotively

 

Way I mounted mine is I drilled the back side of the pipes and installed rivserts. Bolted steel straps to them and screwed the straps to my inner rockers

 

I figured that's what I would be doing basically or weld tabs to the back side.

 

Hell yeah

 

Also got the AM radio working! Oldies and talk radio!

 

Had to check your location. Here about all you get on am radio is static and livestock auctions lol

 

Perfect with !!!