Advice on keeping smog equipment

[socal73]

To start off, I have a very original 72 with all the smog equipment currently intact. One thing not original is the head, which is from the early 80s  that failed before I purchased the car. I performed a compression test to confirm. 120-60-40-90. I have a rebuilt head from 72 rebuilt and ready to go. It's also possible the exhaust manifold has a hairline crack.  My question is: should I trash the entire smog system? Does it add any value? The last 4 cars I bought came without it and it sure cleans up the engine bay. Thanks in advance. Chris.

[jireland2002]

YES  Keep the smog equipment in a box in your garage

[socal73]

Haha. I'm sure just pulling the belt and smog pump should free a couple ponies from the stable. I will have to search for a thread on the complete removal, there are alot of extra hoses and wires I have never had to deal with. Thanks again.

 

[Gordon]

+1 on Jeff's comment, remove it and store it. 

[Mike Self]

+2 keep and store the smog stuff for a future owner.  I still have all the pieces for my '69's equipment that mysteriously disappeared (into my basement) about 1972.

 

But before removing it, take pictures and make sketches of where everything goes, especially the electrical stuff.  BTW, the wiring harness for all those vacuum valves etc on the firewall is totally separate from the car's main wiring harness, so you can remove it intact without snipping anything.

 

mike

[socal73]

Really appreciate the advice. I pulled the pump and associated hoses. Probably a 20 pound weight reduction. And so much more room for activities! Thanks again.

[AustrianVespaGuy]

I'll throw out a slightly dissenting opinion: I don't think that stuff is even worth keeping.  As far as I'm concerned, all 70s era smog equipment belongs in the scrap heap. It never did much to begin with, and the number of miles driven by cars in this category is such an infinitesimally small percentage of the total fleet emissions, it just doesn't matter. Do your part by adjusting your house thermostat, ride your bike, etc., and then just drive the 2002 as the 60s designers intended!

[Conserv]

21 hours ago, AustrianVespaGuy said:

... As far as I'm concerned, all 70s era smog equipment belongs in the scrap heap. It never did much to begin with...

 

While I don’t disagree that U.S. emissions equipment of the ‘70’s produced relatively little benefit — it represented “baby steps” toward cleaning up the environment — I am a dedicated student of history, and I believe knowing history is essential to understanding the present and future. My ‘76 — bought new — retains all its emissions equipment, fully functioning, and has never suffered from it. My air pump was off the car for a few years, ca. 1983, and that probably added 1/4 horsepower, at best. I believe the performance dividend of de-smogging the U.S. cars lies more in the owner’s mind than in the results of dyno runs.

 

The downside to emissions, to me — unless, of course, you have one of those ginormous thermal reactor exhaust manifolds — is largely keeping it operating. I’m confident my ‘76 is on at least it’s fourth diverter valve and second, or is it third, air pump by now, probably more if I go back through all the records.

 

Do I tune the car to achieve lowest emissions? No. But I could if I had to: the equipment is there!
 

My car marks a point in history, and I want it to reveal, in its appearance, equipment, and performance, that point in history. My daily drivers continue to reflect modern technology. So I’m happy there’s at least one original example of a ‘76 ‘02 still kicking.

 

Have you noticed that the truly high-buck domestic muscle cars — with money-no-object-restorations — retain both their emissions controls and their York-style A/C compressors? Just saying...

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

[dlhoovler]

I agree with @Conserv about the historicity argument, for those cars that are being kept or returned to as close to factory as possible (an increasing number, it seems, as values go up).

 

However, there's also a practical reason to at least keep the parts in a box: Different locations have different emissions requirements, in the US at least by state and in some cases by county. Combine that with historic registration limitations that often push people with a desire to actually, you know, DRIVE their '02s to opt for a standard registration, and a move could result in needing to put all that smog stuff back on, at least for a visual inspection.

 

Happened to me in Pennsylvania 10+ years ago, and I was thankful that the air pump, gulp valve and hoses were all still in a box. Like Steve, I didn't notice a big performance difference with it on (though I could tell), but the mounting holes on the aluminum air pump bracket are thoroughly wallered out, and duct tape bushings only last so long. And the pipe to the exhaust manifold rusted through. As Steve indicated, maintenance and replacement of worn-out NLA emissions bits is the biggest issue. So since the car is emissions exempt in Ohio... back in box the bits have gone. 

 

-Dave

[tjones02]

I’m in the camp of shelving the emissions parts and like @Mike Self’s idea of making diagrams.

 

In addition to keeping it for prosperity and in case you move to a state that requires it, if you were to ever Concours the car in a stock class it would be beneficial to have the equipment in place. I know that in the American collector car world there are say, restored ‘69 Camaro Z-28s that have all that stuff on, because it was there when new.

[Zenon]

 

Never mind, I misread the OP

Edited September 4, 2020 by Zenon
Poor reading comprehension

[Sahara 72 2002]

I get both sides of the argument. In fact I have a super cobra jet mach 1 with all of the crappy 1969 smog gear intact. It's one of only about 300 survivors of the 3000 SCJs made so I get why it's important on that one. For my 144,000 mile '72 2002, not so much. I used to daily the 02 here in Californistan back in the '80s. Now that I have the engine rebuilt and am in the weeds on the swap to a 5 speed, I am planning on boxing and storing all that emissions gear.

 

I do not so fondly recall having to take the Haynes manual to the smog check station back in the day to show them that the smog system, as installed was in fact correct. It was. After an extended conversation, fortified by my manual references, it was passed. I dreaded that ordeal every 2 years. That Haynes still has yellow post it notes all over that section with the points that needed to be made. Ah, love, love love...

[AustrianVespaGuy]

Yeah, I get keeping it from the whole maintaining originality perspective, but I prefer 2002s as the 'best versions of themselves,' and all that smog stuff was foisted on them mid-lifecycle, so I still think it all detracts from the 'core being' of the cars. Just another manifestation of the concourse vs. driver spectrum I suppose, but fortunately I think there are still enough 2002s out there for both groups to have their fill! So no hard feelings towards those that want to keep it, but if I could go to the BMW dealership and buy a brand new 2002 tomorrow, the first thing I'd do when I got it home would still be to excise all that junk and put it straight into the dumpster.  Granted, I DO in fact do the same thing with modern cars to a certain extent: all those plastic engine 'beauty' covers are long gone from my cars, the variable cylinder management is disabled in the Honda, annoying secondary air pump is removed from the E39, extra ACS throttle body in the E36 got binned, and of course the worst offender: bypassing that second-gear lockout that sends you straight into 4th on MANUAL transmission GM cars! There's beauty in simplicity (and the 2002's got it in spades!), and I try to keep my cars as 'beautiful' as possible!