Damn, I always thought scavener pipes were the 2 or 3 foot long collector at the end of a set of big tube equal length headers like the the Mickey Thompson Super Scavengers on my '67 GS 400. Talk about a unique sound!
I had scavenger pipes on my 57 chrystler new yorker 2drht. 392 hemi. Torsion bars on front suspension made it really easy to lower "way down in in front" to see the 36" long chrome scavenger pipes coming back just below the rear axel tubes. I had walker continental pacemaker mufflers on it. What a sound!! Wish they were still available today. does anyone remember using them? Anyone know what current muffler mfg. makes a muffler that produces the same sound as they did?? bill
These are what I remember scraping the crowns of the streets in Santa Barbara, California in the early 60's.
Been there, done that had'em on my severly raked 49 Olds bubble top coupe. Thought I was cool! No regrets ~sololobo~
Whipping a dead horse- Anyways, I thought these were also used on mild customs that were dropped equally at all 4 corners.
Downward exhaust outlet flange with wingnuts for quick opening/closing and removal. modified from @BZNSRAT photo post https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ricks-in-the-60s.1081062/page-3#post-12266872 Hello, Last week, I was in a discussion about scavenger pipes back when we were teenagers. Scavenger pipes have been discussed in the HAMB many times over. To help out with an official photo of one of the best examples of So Cal scavengers, here is a green 50’s Chevy with dual exhaust pipe scavengers. Most of the single and dual pipe scavengers were long, bolt on additions to the normal exhaust set up on the local hot cars. They were easily unbolted and removed, leaving only the down tube cap remaining under the motor. With the flange set up we made, the wing nuts loosened the cap to run open exhausts. when necessary, a quick wingnut turn and it is capped up instantly. on installing the dual set of scavenger pipes, the whole wing nut assembly cap was removed and attached to the upward flange of the scavengers. But, because we did not see this green Chevy in person, the photo shows a good example of the dual pipe set of pipes without knowing how the attachment end fit the standard exhaust system at the motor. So, before everyone “goes to town” on the “correct” Scavenger pipe look and fitment, several points needed to be addressed. 1. The straight pipe welded onto the standard muffler and run under the rear axle is not the true So Cal scavenger pipe set up. 2. The idea of the original scavenger pipe came from hot rod/drag racers trying to get as much straight through exhaust out of the back. 3. The true scavenger pipe(s) were not run through the muffler(s), but were separate pipes added on to the down pipe cut outs. 4. Most true scavenger pipes were custom made as the down pipe exhaust cut outs had to match the actual cut out flange from the factory exhaust exiting from the standard exhaust manifold(s). 5. The long scavenger pipes were heavy and were bolted to some part of the frame for rigidity and support. The inlet was matched to the extra down cut out for ease of installation and removal. The first thing the tech inspectors did at the dragstrip was to open the hood and look for a fancy header system. If found on a stock car class racer, they got reclassified as a Gas Coupe or Sedan, no ifs, ands, or buts… It was not a factory item. Even if the header system ran through the dual muffler set up going out of the back. Custom headers were not stock. But, this is where the classification of “Scavengers” comes into play. There were no rules to state that these long muffler bypass exhaust pipes were illegal, as the stock muffler system was still on the factory stock car. There was some confusion for weeks at the tech inspector’s station and during the races. The confusion was the addition of straight pipes from the mufflers that ran under the rear axle. Those were illegal, too, as they were part of the modified muffled system. (Just fancy exhaust tips.) The name scavengers is not just flared exhaust tips added to normal rear exhausts past the last muffler. They were individual pipes bolted on to the down tube exit from the existing stock headers or the custom made header sets. Those long pipes started at the down tube of the exhaust manifold and went far back on the chassis under or near the rear axle. Usually, an additional bolt on bracket was necessary for support of the long pipes. Some have called short pipes from the mufflers rearward with flared tips, scavengers. That may be, but the name is not the original So Cal “scavenger” pipe set ups as we all know it. They were from the accessory shops or custom made at the muffler shops that dotted the So Cal scene. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/jacked-up-front-ends-and-scavenger-pipes.1086065/#post-12309831 Jnaki Protests at Lions Dragstrip came to a halt when the tech inspectors banned all “Scavenger” pipes single or dual… The ruling was that no modifications to the stock system was issued. For the trial timed runs, open exhaust cut outs were allowed, but had to be capped up for the eliminations. During those open cut out runs, it sure sounded nice through the gears and the quarter mile. If we take a step back and see how the added weight of the dual set of chromed pipes did for the car, did that override the sound and faster times? Not so much, as they were not the thing that won races. It was the quick reaction times of the drivers of the equally prepared stock cars, that made the difference. We left our set of heavy dual pipe chromed scavengers from each side of the 348 Impala, sitting in the rafters of our backyard garage. It was the strongest, out of the way place to keep them. We had forgotten about those pipes over the years. In 1998 when we sold our old Westside Long Beach house, I am sure the new owners were surprised when they moved in to their new home. Probably, a set of 40 YEAR OLD pipes were sitting on the curbside for the local pickup guy to come the very next day and pick up the pristine chrome scavenger pipes. Stock headers, and through muffler stock exhaust system Addition of welded in exhaust down tube and flange. Then, attached a set of dual pipe custom chromed tubes (4) to the down tubes and out beyond the rear axle. Scavenger exhaust outlets at 3:43 https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/early-50s-cars-as-hot-rods-not-customs-gallery.620684/page-19#post-13013192 https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/teenage-hot-rodders-cheap-tricks-in-the-60s.1081062/page-3#post-12267847
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