I have a 1978 Corvette, and have head you can get a decent HP gain from removing most of the emissions controls on the car. that being said.. im not sure what all that would include. could someone let me know what types of things could be removed for this process?
first, you need to check laws in your area to see if you are required to have for inspection.. you can remove the A.I.R pump, etc, but don t expect big gains in performance..
You gain almost nothing by removing your emission equipment. Lower emissions are accomplished by running short duration camshafts, not much initial timing, an EGR valve, and a smog pump that pumps air into either your intake manifold or just ahead of your catalytic converter. The smog pump only takes about 1/2 horsepower to spin, so removing it gives you almost no gain. Does your car have to have the emission equipment on it to pass smog?
the car is considered a classic/vintage vehice and isnt required to pass an e-check at all. and this was question was only brought up because from what i understand 75-81 corvettes all suffered from severe HP cuts due to very strict emissions regulations at the time.
IMO, it's wasn't the emissions 'stuff' that gimped them, it was Chevy (and other manufacturers) not really knowing how to make a motor run clean and have power still.
ie, they gimped the power to compensate for the lack of experience with emissions... once they started figuring emissions out, the power started to come back up.
I have an 81....the weakest of the weak....I removed all the smog gear. I would agree, there was no noticable HP gain or performance improvement, but the engine compartment is sure a lot less cluttered....so from a esthetic perspective, a big plus.
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