deleting the cats

[1987cp]

you used JBWeld on your exhaust manifold? I wonder how that will hold up ....

[RustyRodder]

should be interesting.


so again- will pinching off the lines to the cats cause a problem? or just leave them open?

[1987cp]

lol .... well, if you absolutely must leave that plumbing intact, I'd suggest capping it off somehow. Might just do the hose-and-lugnut routine like I've done on crossover pipes, as it's cheap, easy, and reversible. If you leave the smog pump hooked up and the system at least sealed somehow, the system should still partly function since it'll be injecting air into the back of the cylinder heads.

[RustyRodder]

could i cap off the holes by the exhaust, and bypass the pulley since im replacing the belt at the same time?

[King_V]

If the body deforms enough, the glass is gone anyway. If on the other hand, an unsecured passenger slams into the windshield, wouldn't you want it to give way easier? Less trauma that way.

Well, yeah, but I think the intent is to prevent the glass from shattering and flying inward.... my memory's not all that good, though, so don't hold me to that.

Unsecured passenger? Shouldn't be... on the other hand, what's the fine line between enough give to let your head bash through it, and such an amount of give that if you open the windows, the positive air pressure blows it out?

[hav24wheel]

could i cap off the holes by the exhaust, and bypass the pulley since im replacing the belt at the same time?

u can take the whole air pump off and run a shorter belt.. I don't remember the belt # but it does work..

[1987cp]

560k6 works good for most 302 applications.

I still say the best thing to do if you're not going to use the air injection system is to remove it completely. Most importantly, cap off any vacuum lines going to the system, and remove the air injection manifold from the back of the heads and plug the holes with short 5/8-11 bolts. I had an unexplained exhaust leak for quite a period of time when I erroneously thought the holes were 9/16" and not 5/8".

Definitely do not leave the tubes uncapped if you leave the manifold attached to the back of the heads.

[hav24wheel]

When I pulled all that stuff off mine, I just took that manifold off the back of the heads, cut it close to the part that bolts to the head, pounded the tube flat with a hammer, bent it over and pouned it flat again, than bolted them back to the heads. The reason I did that, was it was way easier than cleanin up the threads in the head in order for the bolt to fit in there.