Origin of "Limefire" Headers

I'm doing a "Hot Rod Glossary" for an Aussie car magazine and one of the terms the Editor would like is "those sneaky headers that come out the side and then go under the car"...

I know what they're called, I'm just not really sure of the origin. I know there was a Hot Rod called "Limefire", but I'm pretty sure this style of header has been around since before then.

Thanks.

 

Well, I believe that Pete "California Kid" Chapouris was responsible for the limefire car. But the header origin itself goes back to the use of discarded ford torque tubes as the main header pipe of an abbreviated racing exhast system. Especially desireable was the tapered shape, which not only brought beauty with it's simplicity, creates a bottleneck type resistance for the exhaust pulse as it tries to go back towards the combustion chamber, preventing a "reversion" effect.

But if they didn't look cool, well they would have been forgotten

Here is a photo I found on the Hamb with a very similar setup, albit on a flathead, as the modern limefire, built with a torque tube.

Some tech info thanks to Mr. Wonderful. Thanks Dave.

I hope this helps. I'll search my archive for more examples

 

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Well, I believe that Pete "California Kid" Chapouris was responsible for the limefire car.

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Indeed he was the builder, and as he used those type of headers, all be it larger, people started calling them 'Limefire' style. In fact, Sanderson market them... LIMEFIRE

Nice to hear the 'real story' tho. Thanks for that

 

I kinda prefer these made from the Ford axle tubes and old bed headboards, circa 1958 :

 

The roadster he built was called "Limefire' for its green paint job; therefore the name stuck for the pipes. A stunning car, with the orange flames on the green.