Rick, Cruzr, has given us all permission to ask a "dumb" question every now and then. Seen a reference to a term I've never heard before, what is bellflower????
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Your "top-less" cruzn buddy, Denise

Lipstick Run Survivor

http://www.geocities.com/lipstickrun/

In what context did you hear that term? Watson, a customizer from the 50's had exhaust tips that he called Bellflower. Is that what your looking for?? I dunno, prob just a "dumb" anwser, lol
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Watch those speedbumps!! Debb

It was on another board that I "lurk" at but would never post. Talking about a 61 Buick? and how "bellflowers would set it off"???? Probley is exhaust tips, sounds like that would fit. Thanks sweetie!!
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Your "top-less" cruzn buddy, Denise

Lipstick Run Survivor

http://www.geocities.com/lipstickrun/

Bellflower tips are a shout lakes type pipe that was mounted on the bottom of the fender behind the rear wheel. They extended from the wheel opening to the rear bumper
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Anyone can restore an old car, it takes a man to cut one up.

Short lakes type pipe that is.
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Anyone can restore an old car, it takes a man to cut one up.

thanks bud :)
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Your "top-less" cruzn buddy, Denise

Lipstick Run Survivor

http://www.geocities.com/lipstickrun/

Enjenjo is quite right on what they are.

I'd like to add that the pipes got the name from first becoming popular in the City of Bellflower, CA. and derived their name from there.
Bellflower is just south of Downey, where the famous Harvey's Broiler was the North turn around for cruisers. who would cruise bothe Lakewood Blvd. and Bellflower Blvd. from Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach through Lakewood, Paramount, Bellflower, and to Harvey's on Firestone in Downey.
Watson was painting cars in Bellflower, and getting his paint from a store that's still open on Bellflower Blvd.

Also, in order tolook "right" the placement of the pipes is critical. They look best if they hug the body and extend from exactly the rear most point of the rear wheel opening to exactly the same rearmost point of the bumper. Looking from the rear, if the bumper has "bumperettes" on the ends of the bumper (as opposed to a wrap-around style) the pipe should exit directly below the "point" of the bumperette. From the profile, the Bellflower should be parallel to the rocker panel, which in turn was level the the road,in order to flow with the lines.
Most of the Bellflower style customs were lowered to a couple centimeters from the ground and sat dead level, no rake at all. And they ran that way all the time, only a few had "hydraulics".
The few cars that ran a "East Coast Style" tail down rake, which was popular in the black neighborhoods in Compton, still ran the pipes level to the ground, so if thae car was set level they would point up in the rear, a rather awkward look. but adjustable with the hydraulics...
In the 60's in So.Cal. there definitely were neighborhoods and neighborhood styles but what is now called a "Lowrider" hadn't been homogenized into what it is today, yet.
They were all "customs" (sparing the few Fleetline "bombs" that were obviously being stored away in garages in East L.A. waiting for their day of glory.
There were Lakes pipes along the rocker panels that were popular too. They were mounted on the outside of the rocker. just below the door opening, to make the body look "sectioned", or on a car that really wasn't lowered that much. or one with a lot of chassis "stuff" (like oil pans?) hanging down making it impossible to get the car really low, the Lakes Pipes were mounted below the rocker panel to visually fill in the ground clearance.
One thing that was a definite NO-NO was to run both Lakes Pipes AND Bellflowers at the same time.
Capped Lakes and Tail pipes were ok though, as long as the tail pipes weren't out at the sides of the fender like the Bellflowers.
This look is at its best on a '59- '64 Chevy Impala hard top with a silver metalflake top and a Candy or pearl color body. With a Wolfman Jack look-a-like behind the wheel....

well D.RJ you just told my teenage story and my 64 super sport to a tee man do I miss that car 64 super sport dark blue shaved door handles beel flowers supremes 6in deep 8 track color bar and all the cruising you can take from bellflower to L street nice to here someone who love the old low rider

WOW, thanks for the bedtime story Daddy! LOL

Love to see a photo of a "bellflower" if anyone can post one without getting the dreaded X. :)

I lived in SO Cal in the 60's and 70's. We lived in the San Diego area. The only cars I remember cruzn in high school, besides the muscle cars and vans, were the lowriders driven by the Mexican guys. No one that I remember had a kool classic, kustom or streetrods in my neighborhood. I led a sheltered life! Still do LOL
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Your "top-less" cruzn buddy, Denise

Lipstick Run Survivor

http://www.geocities.com/lipstickrun/

And what shelter was that ? Homeless or wayward . Just kiddin heh heh heh B-O-B DSRA
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Smoke um if ya got um
Burn Out Bob DSRA member

Sheltered from RIF RAF like us probably! Guess your making it up now huh Girl! :)
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KEEP THE GREAZY SIDE DOWN! Lobucrod

Sure am Mike, FULL THROTTLE!! :)
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Your "top-less" cruzn buddy, Denise

Lipstick Run Survivor

http://www.geocities.com/lipstickrun/

I didn't know what they where either, so I looked them up, this is all I found, so they can't be all that popular any more. Hope I don't ge the X.
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Be different but be yourself.

Talk about living a sheltered life...I've never seen bellflower tips. All they ever had around here were the short and long Lakes pipes. Man, I've got to get out more and see the rest of the world.
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phil


It's not a NOMAD, it's a Yeoman!
Not an engineer, but I DO drive a train.

well if you don't know about bellflowers pipes do you remember RCA 45 record players for cars 12 volt or the B&N album record players they were around at the same time in southern calif. the car 51 chevy we are building will have a 45 player in it still have the old one and still have a color bar

Yep, I remember the 45 players. There is a Ply conv. near here that still has one. I saw a guy on tv a few weeks ago that had a full chrome one for sale for about a thousand bucks. I guess I don't need one of those. lol.
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phil


It's not a NOMAD, it's a Yeoman!
Not an engineer, but I DO drive a train.

to dr j.
thanks for all the info bringing back all my memories of all the time i lived in cool cal. during the late 50s
and 60s......when cal WAS the coolest place on earth if u were into cars and girls....and who wasent?????lol
absolutely unbelieveable times compared to todays hectic society........times of fab cars, car people, beautiful cal. sunsets, fabulous music of the day... millions of less people....no smog laws.. a lot less BS......hey...read all the mag accounts of that period. youll know what i mean.....
iam happy to have lived in this great period of our society......the fab 50"s was exactaly that!!!!
all events today mimick these fab times.......some of us lived them...i remember[1959] cruising my blown chevy powered 53 studebaker up the coast hwy101 checking out the chicks when i was in the see bees in pt. yhemme cal[santa barbra]......
as a high school senior grad in san antonio,1956, i bought a beautiful chopped , channeled, full on custom 49 merc w/ 176 cuts in the hood off a lot for 895.00.......whoa nelly......53 olds power.....
those times are gone forever ......but we can still have some fun remembering.......and reacting them>>>>>>
tom

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pink rod ... tom