Emissions control stuff, needed or get rid of it.

[Texsardo]

In Idaho I am not required to have emissions control stuff or catalytic converter on my 78' Spider.
Most of it has been removed. It has a new regular exhaust. But there are some things in the engine compartment that I would get rid of if possible. Some tubes have been blocked off with screws, tubes crimped, etc. Runs great (well as soon as I get new timing belt on ) and I would like to get the stuff out of the engine compartment or cut and tucked away, or etc, etc.
Here are some photos of stuff I know nothing about or if my regular carbed engine needs. This is the first item. The outlet on the left had a vacuum line with a screw plugging it. But I disconnected the tube and wiring terminals and still ran good. The "sensor on the right is still hooked up. Can it also be plugged, terminals taken off, what does it do? It also has the black button with terminal hooked up below it. Someone said this was to increase idle or something??


The next photo is a T-connection below the carburetor and into the carburetor intake manifold. The heavy braided tube on the right goes into the driver's side firewall (maybe to the fuel tank 3 way?) The other hose on the left goes up to the "sensor" with terminals on the right side of the photo above.


Te last is another connection that I think went to an EGR on the other side of the motor (which is removed) and it had the tube crimped closed at the end of about a foot of it. I cut it further back, put a rubber brake bleed valve cover and some black gasket forming gel in it after I cut it down to about 4" left. The center nut on the base was very loose. Just tightened it. Don't know if whole thing could be removed or not. It is the brass fitting beneath the tubing with writing. I labeled it smog vacuum. You can see the curved metal tube leading up and to the left. This is before I cut it shorter.



OK, any ideas on how to unclutter the engine bay would be nice. Also wondering, my battery on the 78' is in the trunk but my engine compartment on the passenger side has a battery shelf built in, if I could move battery to this spot. Currently someone mounted the coil there but could be easily moved. Any thoughts?
Texsardo

[RoyBatty]

Leave the battery in the trunk. Better weight distribution for handling.
My coil is mounted in the same place you mentioned as well as the windshield washer bag and pump.

[Texsardo]

Thanks, OK, makes sense for weight distribution to just leave battery in trunk.
Anyone else w/ideas about thinning out all the tubes and gadgets of emission control dead weight??
Texsardo

[tartan18]

On my 1975 I removed all the emission control stuff as Oregon does not have any smog regulations that impact me (I don't live in Portland where I believe there are tighter regulations). There were no electrical or vacuum connections required for my car (I have a DFEV carb so I didn't need a vacuum port. The only vacuum port I have is for the brake booster. Going this route I eliminated all but one of the ice cube relays in the engine compartment -- keeping the one for the horn. I even removed the three sensor ports in the intake manifold and will replace them with plugs that I am getting from Auto Ricambi.

[Texsardo]

Thanks, glad yours worked out but I am still trying to figure out what is emissions scrap and what needs to stay or be plugged. I especially want to figure out what the vacuum cube with 2 wires does. It's on the right on the above photo. The one on the left pretty much did not affect anything when I disconnected the line and removed the 2 wires.
Texsardo

[bradartigue]

Well, no, you don't need any of it. You won't find most of it on European cars, and most of it on the USA cars didn't do much to clean the air. Spiders run quite clean without any of this, including the catalytic converter, but in the USA in the 1970's you had to have it all, so there it is.

The problem most people have is they can't tell what is from what isn't emissions control related.

You need the brake booster hose. It goes from the brake booster to the manifold. You also appear to have a charcoal canister. It doesn't do anything to your performance and does keep the fuel odor down. You need to have the crankcase vent hose running to the air cleaner, so the drop in air pressure into the carburetor draws crankcase gases out of the motor and burns them.

All the other stuff, remove it, cap the point of origin (port on the manifold or carburetor) and engine a simpler engine bay.

[johnb3rg]

I know this is an old post but I am dealing with the same issues. I also live in Oregon in an area that doesn't require emission testing, but if I remove the emission devices (assuming they are working), would my car pass emission testing without them? The question is related to possibly selling my car in the future to someone in the Portland area. I wouldn't want to miss a sales opportunity nor put a burden on a buyer to remedy the problem. Thanks.

[johndemar]

Well if emissions might be an issue in the future, just store what you take off until that time.
Everything you take off is easily reversible.

And these cars are of an age there may be exemptions for them in many metro areas.
Here in Phoenix there are emission requirements, but cars over 25 years old can be registered as collector
cars and are then exempt.

[johnb3rg]

Thank you John. I don't know how I missed your response but that's what I will plan to do as I slowly renew all of the hoses except those not needed.