Respondida pelo OP em um comentário:
Thanks to all who presented their ideas and theories. I did the job today . It turned out that they were brass /chrome plated pipes not sleeves at all. They were threaded on the bottom and the joint was between the floors out of sight. They just wound out with vice grips. This would be original plumbing installed in the late 1940s and still going strong. My Mrs just wanted it updated. Methods have sure changed our the last 80 years.Thanks all .Job complete. – jer prime Dec 8 '17 at 21:26