is it legal in texas if i cut off both cats and muffler on my 96 f-150 and straight pipe it out behind the rear tire?

 

Yea it will not pass inspection !!!!!

I have a 96 F-150

 

Even if you live in a non-emission county it has to be on your vehicle for the safety inspection. If it came with an emission device it has to be on it.

 

So - if I move to Texas I get to re-invent the bizarre system they put on my Super Beetle, right?

NUTZZZZ.... Just when I was getting ready to pitch the funky distributor that came with it.

So, which counties in Texas are non-emission (for the sake of it)?

 

Last time i checked "ALL Of Texas"

 

Here's a list of counties that require "emission testing" when performing the annual safety inspection.

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/vi/

edit: As for the OP's question. Any vehicle that came with emission equipment from the factory has to keep it intact. This is a federal law. Now, if you live in a county that doesn't perform smog checks, then as long as the inspectors don't happen to visually inspect the truck for the required equipment, then you'll have no problem. If they do, on the off chance look. Then they can and probbaly will fail your inspection.

 

Suppose you're a smart enough cookie to make all of the emissions pieces look connected, even though they do nothing but serve as "Display Units"?

It's amazing what a few ball bearings tucked inside vacuum lines (with suitable 'T' connections) can make happen... I can believe an inspection fella at a check station looking to see if all the lines are hooked up, but I doubt they test every single component

Take a VW Beetle for an example. Everybody likes to run .09 distribs on them (strictly mechanical advance). Some came with a push-pull vacuum advance with a delay unit that's pointless to explain in detail except they made Bugs run worse...

Pop a BB into the lines before pushing them onto the connectors, and you now have mechanical advance only! But the parts are all there, including a wierd little device up in the left side of the engine bay.

Don't like EGR? A bearing ball in the vacuum control line to the valve will take care of it too. Looks just like an ordinary vacuum nipple connection, unless you know what to look for and take the time to.

No one looks at every inch of line in between, just at what is connected at the ends. So 'T' connectors can run vac from the throttle plate port to a distributor even if everything else is plugged.

"Yippy Kie Aye..."

 

Sure, you could do that. How many posts have you seen here asking about "gutting a cat"?

 

It isn't recommended, and you can get in a whole mess of trouble if you were ever actually caught I suppose. But I've always sided with efficiency, making the most of the fuel we use - rather than burning more fuel just to make it seem like we were using it all up.

I still think that 99% of the smog equipment out there makes a vehicle less efficient and thus wastes more fuel than a machine without it.

 

man i live in howe, by sherman...and i only have to do the blinker and horn inspection....i have a 79 bronco...which did have full emmission stock....now none of it is there and they dont care at all...

 

yah buddy of mines got a ticket for not having a catalitic converter on he's 1990 mustang GT.....cop heard it very loud and decided to inspect....