Lakes Pipes

Leroy Heinrichs and his fiancée Mazie Neece washing Leroy's 1947 Plymouth Club Coupe in front of the Neece family home on Margaret Street in San Jose, California, circa 1955. At this early stage, the car had already been mildly customized with shaved door handles, shortened hood trim, lakes pipes, subtle pinstriping around the wheel wells, and a set of 1954 Chrysler hubcaps. Photo courtesy of Tracy Zimmermann.

Nick De Simon's 1940 Ford Coupe of Teaneck, New Jersey. Nick worked for his dad at De Simon Auto Body. He was a very talented body man and fabricator, and the coupe was built during weekends, nights, and in Nick's spare time. Featuring a chopped top and channeled body, the build was completed around 1957. It was dressed up with short lakes pipes that ran along the bottom edge of the rear fenders.

Ron Dulin's 1956 Plymouth Fury of Long Beach, California. Dulin was a member of the Cut Outs of Long Beach car club, and his Plymouth went through seven iterations between 1956 and 1962. This photo shows the car as it appeared early in 1957, running lakes pipes.

Jerry Harris' 1950 Mercury of Tacoma, Washington. By 1958, Tacoma Toppers member Jerry Harris had transformed his 1950 Mercury into a classic mild custom. Shaved and nosed for a clean look, the Merc featured frenched headlights, a 1955 Dodge grille, rounded hood corners, and full-length lake pipes. A touch of trim above the rear wheels and the absence of skirts gave it a sportier edge. Lowered with dual spotlights, Fiesta hubcaps, and a full custom interior, the car was finished in smooth metallic paint, making it a textbook example of late-1950s custom style.

Ronnie Fossen's 1954 Studebaker of Compton, California. Ronnie's Studebaker was restyled in the mid or late 1950s, and this photo from 1958 shows it dressed up with subtle gold scallop-looking flames.

Jim Galvin's 1949 Ford Tudor of Ottawa, Illinois. Galvin is an original member of the Illinois Valley Mis-Fires car club. He built the Ford in his backyard, starting the build in 1958. By 1959, the car had been painted blue with a scallop paint job and a chopped top. It was dressed up with chromed lake pipes.

Louie Stojanovich's 1947 Plymouth Club Coupe of San Jose, California. Louie, who was a member of the San Jose Rod and Wheelers car club, purchased the already customized Plymouth from Leroy Heinrichs in 1957. Louie took the car to the next level, adding functional lakes pipes, a pleated white interior by Modern Upholstery, and a 1954 Chrysler six-cylinder engine with triple carbs. The coupe was finished in 18 coats of Candy Burgundy lacquer with gold outlines and debuted at the San Mateo show in 1959.

Ron Volpe's 1957 Ford Convertible of La Salle, Illinois. Ron was a member of the Illinois Valley Mis-Fires. Between the years 1960 and 1963 he took the car through five different stages. This photo shows a mild iteration of the car as it appeared circa 1960. By then, the car had been dressed up with Lakes Pipes

George Jezek's 1949 Chevrolet 2-Door Sedan of West, Texas. Jezek was a local pinstriper and a founding member of the Eliminators of West car club. Known as The Candy Cart, Jezek's Chevrolet went through several modifications during the late 1950s and the 1960s. This photo shows how it appeared around 1960, after Jezek had installed Lakes Pipes and Dodge Lancer hubcaps.

Lakes Pipes are long, chrome exhaust pipes mounted along the lower sides of a custom or hot rod, running from the engine bay toward the rear wheel. Originally inspired by the straight pipes used on dry lake racers in the 1930s and 1940s, lakes pipes became a popular styling element on custom cars in the 1950s. While some were functional, capped with block-off plates or cutouts, others were purely decorative. Either way, the lakes pipes added a racy, low-slung look and helped visually lengthen the car’s profile. They remain a classic touch on traditional customs and mild customs alike.

Custom Cars Featuring Lakes Pipes

Nick De Simon's 1940 Ford Coupe
Leroy Heinrichs' 1947 Plymouth Club Coupe
Louie Stojanovich's 1947 Plymouth Club Coupe
George Jezek's 1949 Chevrolet 2-Door Sedan - The Candy Cart
Jim Galvin's 1949 Ford Tudor
Jerry Harris' 1950 Mercury
Ronnie Fossen's 1954 Studebaker
Ron Dulin's 1956 Plymouth Fury
Ron Volpe's 1957 Ford Convertible - Red Robin II