Ok guys, I have been a chevy guy (sorry guys) until I purchased a 86 F150 that just needed some TLC, PO sucked and treated this truck like poo. Now, I am trying to eliminate all the smog control goodies, no testing here in this state and I just cannot abide all those dadgone hoses when I have an old truck needing worked on. Besides, the dadgone thing needed work I will tell ya. ( Fuel tank selector, oil pan gasket, pump, valve cover gasket, tires, breaks, interior work, new blinker switch, fuel line, rebuild carb. Etc etc.)

Ok so here it goes, I have taken off the smog pump, capped off the lines to the cats, eliminated all the vacuum lines to the manifold and put plugs in instead of the vacuum heat sensor things. I am now at the EGR Soleniod ( just learned what that is tonight) EGR, and re-running the lines for the charcoal canister for fuel vapor line. When eliminating the EGR items, what am I going to expect from my computer? The truck is an original carb 351W HO.
Thanks for any help!!!!

 

I'm thinking by simply pulling and plugging all the lines that the truck was designed to have...you're pretty much going to make your computer very unhappy.

Will probably throw it into "Limp" mode and you're going to have a very poor running truck.

Best bet is to put it all back the way it's supposed to be.

 

An 86 351W with a 4bbl is the "High Output", and they still had the Duraspark II ignition like the 460's until the end of 1987. 1988, as I understand it, everything had a computer.

If you eliminate your vacuum, then the motor won't run! (just a joke, as all motors need vacuum to run).

Eliminating your vacuum lines is a different story, and can be done without actually hurting the motor. You'll need a PCV line, a distributor vacuum advance line, a power brake booster line, your thermostatic choke hooked up, and... that's it.

The EGR produces better gas mileage when cruising (at say, 55) by reducing the "size" of the motor by taking up space in the cylinders with gases (you can only "fill" so much of the cylinders with fuel and air). It also cools the motor, allows you to run less timing, and cuts down extremely on Nitrous Oxide gases.

The EGR only works when cruising and after the motor is warmed up.

The SMOG pump (A.I.R., Air Injection Reactor pump) pumps fresh air into the exhaust stream to enhance the oxidation process (Carbon Monoxide to Carbon Dioxide, the same crap you exhale), as well as to assist the catalytic converter and also reduce Nitrous Oxide gases. The smog pump also has no performance robbing capabilities (it doesn't even take that much force to turn the pulley, honestly).

Catalytic converters also don't rob any power whatsoever, unless they're plugged. Even then, it isn't hurting anything being there.

So in short, you should've left your stuff the way it was, as you just wasted your time and butchered up another truck.

If you want to get more "power" and to make it look "clean" under the hood, swap on a set of aluminum heads, intake, headers, 650 or 700 CFM carb, new cam, and maybe a new stall converter if it's automatic and new rear-gears. In short, build the motor instead of taking off stuff that has no impact (and you can only lose when you unhook it all, unless you're actually building the motor).

 

Ok, maybe I was not clear. The truck was already in botched up butchered and neglected shape. I was trying to go the less expensive route of eliminating the vacuum lines, that lets face it guys, are not on older and easily more powerful trucks. I was not looking to pick a scrap, just fix this old beast so I can go motor cycle riding. As far as butchering another truck, I am **** when it comes to repairs and upkeep. I drive nothing newer than this truck currently, and the truck was an oil covered, rotten vacuum line having, choke racing, mess when I purchased. It just had 0 rust so I was very interested. Bought cheap, I am cheap. I was just looking for some help to get it running. WOW, that's all I can say. Any of you want the dadgone thing, I will sell it to you and move back to chevy, they are a little less attacking.

 

I just got a PM from one of the other members on here, MOFORD150, and his primary concern was typing something like what I typed and making you mad and potentially swaying away a new member who'd be with us for a while.

While that is a valid concern, and I'd understand if you became mad at what I typed, but in all honesty... you're just going to have to get mad. Unless you're actually going to build the motor into something with 300 + horsepower, then most all of us at FTE will agree that we do not advocate undoing emissions equipment. Mainly because it causes more pollution, will lower your MPG if you unhook it, and can cause drive-ability issues if it's unhooked.

Sorry if I ticked you off/ruined your evening, as I didn't mean to, and we always do welcome new members here who want to give us an input (even if they are "Chevy" guys, For what it's worth, my whole family is "Chyttylet" ).

Welcome to FTE and we hope you'll stay.

 

I just typed my response hoping I could put it into the thread before you'd reply so you could read it and not get as mad as you have.

If you got mad... whoops.

Maybe Chevrolet's are a little less attacking. But then again, isn't everything when you're going out and buying a "oil covered, rotten vacuum line having, choke racing, mess" ?

For what it's worth, even though my father prefers Chevrolet's, the only Ford he's ever had a problem with (and he's had MANY!) was a 76 F100 with a 428 Cobrajet with 2-4's on a tunnel ram. The truck caught fire three separate times, so he ditched it. Other than that, quote from him is "they're pretty much problem free".

For what it's worth, even though I'm a "Ford guy", my favorite car still is, and will always remain, a 1972 Nova.

I've seen more POS Chevrolet's than I've seen Ford's...

EDIT:

Also, as an add-on, most of the Fords I hear of that are butchered up were done so at the expense of "Chevy guys" who tear crap off thinking it'll make it run better. No that wasn't a stab at you, that was what I hear/see a lot.

Also, this line:

"Now, I am trying to eliminate all the smog control goodies, no testing here in this state and I just cannot abide all those dadgone hoses when I have an old truck needing worked on."

Tells us that YOU were the one tearing crap off the truck, not someone else (which you stated in your next post). If you want to be understood better, when you type something like that, provide some back story.

 

How about this 72 Nova!! Doing a frame off custom. 427/TH400/12 bolt Posi/ and much much more!!

For me....I just like em if they got a motor and 4 wheels on them!!! Love the Fords....but there are a LOT of Chevy's I like too

 

MOFORD, please understand....

We get lots of people coming here for help, many of them complaining about how the PO had hacked up the computer/electrical/vacuum/emissions/carburetor/whatever but now the thing runs like crap and gets only 5 MPG.

And, when you come here stating that you just tonight began learning what some of this stuff is and are butchering the thing, that doesn't go over real well.

Just because older engines didn't have most of this stuff, these engines do and were designed to operate with it. If you want to remove it, that's fine, but do some homework first and figure out what the stuff actually does (some of it just enhances operation & drivability and actually makes it behave better) and what might also need to be tuned/adjusted to compensate (for example, recurving the distributor timing advance to avoid pinging on low-RPM high-load situations, which can come as a result of removing the EGR system).

There is nothing wrong with being cheap, but you'll be lots better off by first becoming knowledgeable in what you're getting yourself into rather than just hacking & disconnecting things *****-nilly.

I can't slam these guys for what they said; in fact, they said it nicer than I as well as some others here probably would have.

 

Oh god, you shouldn't have posted that picture! I need new pants. I would prefer a 327 with a 9'' rear though.

I also like 69' Chevelles and 64' Impalas. My Grandfather used to drag race a 64' Impala that had, I think, a 409 in it. Dad had a 69 Camaro in high school with a 350 he used to race all the time down the streets. He and Mom also had a 76 Monte Carlo that they built the 350 in.

I want to do a 64 Falcon up one day with a 300-6, 3-2 barrel carbs, lotsa head work, and a big cam and headers. Maybe a turbo too. That'll be my mid-life crisis car.

 

Exactly!

Like I said, I didn't mean to make you mad, but sometimes it has to happen. Sometimes you can't avoid it either.

I don't mind being cheap either. Though I prefer inexpensive, cheap can be alright if done right.

What Chris said is pretty much the gist of things though. You can see I did try to explain what some of the devices on these motors do and why they should be left alone until you do "real" engine building.

And, for what it's worth... I'm in the same boat as you. The previous owner unhooked all my crap and plugged all the hoses with bolts because he didn't know what he was doing or looking at. He used bolts instead of going out and buying a 5$ box of vacuum caps and plugging things the right way. Of course, there was other stupid stuff on the truck, like a sheet of liquid fiberglass on each floor pan and in the cab corners. I was fortunate the truck ran, but I wouldn't have got it if it didn't run.

You can actually dress up engine bays really easy. All it takes is some corrugated wire looming (black, red, blue, whatever color you like), some PB blaster and a rag, and a old tooth brush to scrub off some of the gunk, some 2$ rattle-can spray paint to clean them up and give them a "new" look, as well as replacing all the old hoses and parts that need to be replaced and giving the truck a full tune-up. You ought to look up some of the "build" threads on here and see what kind of jobs people do with their vehicles on the cheap! It actually amazes me at the creativity.

 

Well this is my 2nd 72....and you guess it, my first had a 327 with a Muncie rock crusher. Had a 12 bolt though...sorry but yeah a 9" would be much better.

I also had a 77 Monte Carlo with a 350....pretty stock though.

My favorite was a 74 Mustang II (I know, not a real Mustag). Dropped a 351 into it with some aluminum heads and ran an 850 DP, and was really well built. Stipped down to nothing, narrowed 9" locker...was a terror on the street.
Ran mid 10's with it. All untill I went one step too far and installed the "juice"!!! Ran a front motor plate welded into the frame. Took it to the strip to time it and right out off the line the windshield shattered as soon as I hit 2nd gear. Tore the frame right out of the uni-body under the drivers seat.

Motor went into an old *****'s jeep Had the rear up to about 5 years ago and finally sold it off.

 

I understand what you are saying MOFORD. The emissions arent that important on the carb motors. The computer wont hold grudges b/c its not that smart back then. You may end up with an emission light,but , thats about it. Most of the emission controls on these are water temp related instead of MAF or whatever else like the EFI trucks were.

Also guys settle down b/c they make 2 and 3 chambered cats now that give off less emissions with everything by passed. So it doesnt have to be an ozone destroyer just b/c the somebody threw away the charcoal canister. Just run a PCV valve that still connects the carb to the valve cover.

The vacuum issues are simple. The only thing you need is the AC vacuum, brake booster, tranny shift modulator, cruise control if you have it and the advance on the distributor. Everything else can go in the extra parts bin. There should be a vacuum tree on the manifold right behind the carb. That is where everything connects that is left. If there arent enough outlets there may be a plastic manifold with 3 connections that works as another splitter for more outlets. Plug everything else in the manifold or base of the carb that leaks vacuum.

Oh yeah, you might have a vacuum reservoir for helping the AC that could stay.

 

MOFORD - I'm a bit late to the party, but I tend to think like you - keep it simple. So, I run the minimum of vacuum lines, pretty much what Bruno suggested. And, I don't run the AIR pump nor the many lines that were part of that system. In fact, I plug the back of the heads with a 5/8 - 11 bolt about .4" long to seal that passage. But, I probably would still be running the EGR if the valve had worked. However, it was blown so I capped its vacuum line.

So, what questions do you have?

 

For what it's worth, a Chevy truck of the same year would not be "a little less attacking" than a comparable 1985 Ford, as the Federal Government required the same emissions equipment for all car manufacturers. Just like the Ford, a 1985 Chevy would have had an EGR valve, evaporation emissions system, catalytic converters, etc. and a maze of vacuum hoses to deal with.

 

Lariat - I think he meant the Chevy folks are less prone to attack a poster than us Ford guys are.