Its been a while since I've posted here but I am need of the wealth of knowledge here once again.

Ive got a 79 F100 VIN # F10GNFE5210 the GVWR is 4800lbs

A previous owner butchered the exhaust system and its got plenty of rust holes so I'm looking to replace it completely. The truck does not currently have cats on it and I don't particularly want to spend the $300 on new cats that the muffler shop quoted me on. the muffler guy said that because the truck says "unleaded fuel only" that cats are original equipment and he wont put an exhaust on without them. The truck has passed inspection without them 3 times and in 2 years I wont even need to get the truck inspected at all one it is 35 years old. So my question is, what was the original emissions equipment on the truck and is there any way I can not put cats on without putting an exhaust system in myself. I live in North Carolina BTW. I'm not an expert on the emissions laws here either although I have done some research.

Thanks for your help.

 

An F100 in '79 definitely came with a catalytic converter. It also only came with single exhaust.

 

I thought so. I'm going to have to figure something else out then, I may just get a kit and do it myself. I don't particularly want to spend $700 on a new exhaust, especially when they don't inspect the emissions on it.

Any recommendations on a kit? Its a 2wd with no spare tire.

 

The exhaust shop will only make you put cats on it if it comes into the shop with cats. If you drive into the exhaust shop without cats, they should not force you to install new cats. You should call ahead to the place you're looking to go, but this should be a non-issue.

My '79 F100 came with a cat (all '79 F100s did). When I switched to headers, I ripped out the stock exhaust and drove to the shop with open headers (painful) and had them run new pipes all the way back. They didn't blink an eye.

I had the same shop replace the exhaust on another vehicle with a cat and asked if they could just get rid of the cat, and they wouldn't do it - even though the vehicle was past the inspection requirement in Texas. But that was only because it came into the shop with the cat.

 

My 79 F250 had a 2-1 with a cat, like mikeo0o0o0 said.

In the engine (460), it had a A.I.R. pump system with 2 charcoal canisters that collected from various areas of the engine.

Off the carb


The top canister


You can see the a.i.r. pump on the left (passenger) side of the water pump, as well as the two canisters and the mess of hoses that go along with it.



I know you had asked about exhaust, but the topic was "79 F100 original emmisions equipment", so I figured I might as well throw in the engine stuff.


sorry for the rant

 

$300? I'll sell you some for $200

Seriously though. If they MUST be there.

3" Universal Spun Catalytic Converter high flow universal spun 410300 608387 | eBay

Get some of those and save $200. They won't be an impediment to flow, either.

 

Best place to put all that stuff is the scrap metal yard....before the advent of the PCM controlled engine the manufacturers, at the whim of the liberal morons in government who decided the evil automobile was destroying the plant, were forced to invoke some kind of anti-pollution/emission addition to the engine. Most of it merely dilutes the exhaust with clean air to make it APPEAR to emit less noxious fumes. In reality it was a pizz poor system at best. It choked the engines down to where they ran like crap.

Open it up...let it breathe..it will run better, get better mileage, and polllute LESS...however if you're unfortunate as to live in some liberal dominated utopia...sorry THEY ain't gonna let you do it. Where I live, they really don't give a rat's anus what you do to it......I guess I'm lucky??????

So, my suggestion is......get you a system you can install yourself and be done with it or find a shop that will do it without the cats. Here, if it has them they cannot REMOVE them, if it don't....then you can do whatever....good luck!

 

Most of the emissions stuff they did in the 70s was new and untested technology that didn't really work so I tend to agree. I'll try calling around and finding out exactly what the rules are around here. I may end up borrowing a buddy's mig and brushing up on my welding "skills" though. Thanks for all the info and replies.