exhaust ruins bumper chrome

[gbhrps]

All small birds have the exhaust pipes exiting through the rear bumper or bumperettes. What precautions / techniques do those of you take who treat your cars as drivers? The exhaust gases are hard on the chrome as is the running water and black soot. My boss rerouted his tail pipes on his 57 so that they stopped short of the rear bumper and the tips pointed at the ground. Anyone doing something different to check the problem? I'm particularly interested of a solution for my 55.

[nomadbird]

It seems that the vast majority of owners do exactly what your boss has done. Turning down the exhaust outlets under the car, forward of the bumper is the most logical solution.

There are only two reasons for having the exhaust exit through the bumper or guards; (1) the car is shown in high quality "points scoring" shows, and/or (2) the owner is an incurable authenticity nut. The combustion deposits are only a cosmetic problem for the first 10 miles of operation in temperatures below 70-80 degrees. Wiping the exhaust port area after driving using Windex and a paper towel before parking the car overnight will prevent any plating deterioration. Actually, you can go for many days and a couple thousand miles without cleaning or ruining the chrome.

Each year we have about 50 + small Birds get together for a week-end outing. The cars MUST be driven to this event. I estimate less than 10% of the cars have their exhaust routed through the bumper. Most folks just don't fight it anymore. It was just another styling gimmick from the era that proved to be impractical; much like headlights on current cars that cloud over after a few years.

Tom

[nomadbird]

gbhrps,

Since you have a '55, you are eventually come up with the idea of adding some length to your exhaust pipes to keep the deposits off your bumper guards. Just want to let you know that about 15-20 years ago, every T'bird parts supplier sold these parts. You will notice that they are no longer offered and for good reason. They were marginally effective and they didn't look right.

Travelin with Windex, Tom

[gbhrps]

Gentlemen, thank you for your followups! I am most grateful for the expert knowledge and helpful answers I have received from the members of this forum.