Color of Sidepipes

[PaulProe]

Can anyone verify the color of the side pipes on the S/C cars?

I've found some comments that white was period correct, others saying black

Looking at the pictures on CSXInfo, the only one I could find showed black

I am certain these were touched up and/or modified during the life of the cars but what did they come from Shelby America as?

thanks

Paul

[427SnakeSC]

If you are going "correct", black is the color.

[Power Surge]

According to my research, all sides pipes came black. Some of the comp cars had white pipes and headers, which were done by the owners (hi-temp coating), not Shelby. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[A-Snake]

Originally Posted by Power Surge

Some of the comp cars had white pipes and headers, which were done by the owners (hi-temp coating), not Shelby. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

For what it's worth...On page 250 of The Cobra-Ferrari Wars is a picture of CSX3002 with white side pipes. 3002 was the only works comp 427. It is pictured with an early street 427 at LAX in April, 1965.

[01yelrt]

Competition cars- some had white pipes, SC cars all had black pipes. All street cars with sidepipes had black pipes.

[Power Surge]

Originally Posted by 01yelrt

Competition cars- some had white pipes, SC cars all had black pipes. All street cars with sidepipes had black pipes.

There's no such thing as a street car with sidepipes .

Any street car with sidepipes was done after the fact.

[Excaliber]

I concur with Sal. The STREET cars came with under car exhaust, no hood scoop, no roll bar and a glove box. This and several other items is what made them 'street cars' to begin with. Of course many were converted to the SC look early on, some with more detail than others. Hmmm, come to think of it, kind of replicas today, some with more detail than others.

Classic street car? 428 with a blue surge\water tank.

[Larry N Johnson]

CSX-3002 with White Sidepipes:


CSX-3016 with White Sidepipes:

[Larry N Johnson]

I figured a Ford "repop" made today would have ceramic sidepipes, so went that way:


Advantages:
1. Looks good, polished and all
2. Super easy maintenance (Mothers Blue Metal Polish)
3. Contains heat, runs cooler than painted (safety)

[Power Surge]

Neither 3002 nor 3016 are very good sources for originality. Both have been restored (3016 even has Trigos on it) and 3002 really has nothing in common with all other comp or S/C cars.

[Larry N Johnson]

Sal,
You are probably right as far as "good sources for originality" but both CSX-3002 and CSX-3016 are very expensive cars, much more value than our humble rides. So if those owners invested in white pipes, I would not hesitate if that is what I wanted. Others may feel the same.
Larry

[Power Surge]

Originally Posted by Larry N Johnson

Sal,
You are probably right as far as "good sources for originality" but both CSX-3002 and CSX-3016 are very expensive cars, much more value than our humble rides. So if those owners invested in white pipes, I would not hesitate if that is what I wanted. Others may feel the same.
Larry

That may be true, but.... copying restoration modifications is not really with the premise of originality .

[Larry N Johnson]

true statement, Sal.

If I do another, it will have white sidepipes.

[ERA Chas]

3170,
Would you mind posting a photo(s) of your car? It would be great to see an original owner car.

[Cobra #3170]

Thanks for asking but I think you would be disappointed in the photo's, I have modified the car with racing seats, an original racing windshield, trunk mounted dry sump, 2 1/8 " primaries on the side pipes, Jongbloed 16x11 front and 16x12 rear wheels, revised suspension parts and electronic fuel injection on a 498 cid Shelby aluminum block with Blue Thunder heads, so it would be of no value to those members that are looking for original configurations.
I do have all the original parts however, so the car can be returned to as purchased condition by my heirs. I intend to enjoy it in the meantime with upgrades that keep it competitive with modern cars.

[ERA Chas]

3170,
Thanks for an honest reply but I never get tired of seeing any Cobra photos. The point is that you're enjoying your car and have taken a path less travelled.
Your information contribution about the pipes and options is appreciated as it is firsthand, not reference-studied like most of my Cobra knowledge.
Don't wish to hijack the thread but a few shots in your gallery would be of interest.

[Cobra #3170]

Thanks for the request, I posted a bunch but did not know how to edit, There is a picture of Dick Smith and my wife at his wedding party and it came out "modified street car" it is actually Dicks SC but I did not know how to change that, oh well everybody knows Dick's car. The photo's show what has to be done to make the original cars handle as they should. The geometry was really bad on all original 427 cars.

[ERA Chas]

3170,
Thank you. The photos are a wealth of detail and the car is all business with care to appearances. Excellent!

[DougD]

I have followed this thread with interest as I'm one of those nutso guys that prefers cars restored or created as close to an original as possible.

The comments by Cobra #3170 are especially interesting due to his intimate knowledge of an original Cobra.

One thing to remember, though. We have a viewpoint available to us today in the form of SAAC's Cobra Registry that allows us to judge how they were really built vs how they could have been built. It's pretty hard to argue with an original Shelby American invoice. Many options were available, but the truth is that few, if any, street Cobras were built with side pipes, roll bars, hood scoops and the like. We seldom see a replica built that doesn't replicate an S/C, so most assume that's the way they all came.......