On wednesday I purchased a rusted out '76 electra with 68k on the clock, just for the engine. I want to put the engine in my '85 pickup, so I will need to have all of the emissions junk hooked up to pass our emissions inspection. I pulled a '76 motor a few years ago out of a junkyard, and it had an smog pump on it, which was plumbed into the intake manifold. This motor in the electra has no air pump, but it does have a catalytic converter, EFE, and EGR. I looked on the intake and there is no place to hook up a smog pump. Were smog pumps only on 50 state cars, vs 49 state cars? I still have the intake from the other '76 motor, plus the smog pump and mounting bracket, which I will have to swap on to this one so I can be emissions compliant. Since I will have to do this swap, can the '76 intake be ported at all for better flow? Can it be made to flow as well as earlier intakes?
Depending on how strict your state's emissions are, I would just try to pass without the smog pump. I figure that all the pump really does is add air and thin out the exhaust, and you could probably accomplish a similar result by creative lean carburetor settings. They take power away, and it's just another thing to break. Then again, if your state is strict enough, you might not pass even with the pump. As far as what cars had them goes, I'm not sure. I think you probably could port that manifold for better flow, but it would probably be about as cheap and much easier just to buy another manifold. You could probably pick up a used stock 70-71 manifold for less than $50, and maybe a used aluminum aftermarket one for not much more. - Freed
Our emissions consists of just a visual inspection, but it is fairly strict. The smog pump must be installed to pass. I have a good '70 intake, so if didn't have to worry about the emissions, I would be bolting that on. Thanks
TTT Here's what I'm wondering, in a little more concise form. Is there a 75/76 intake manifold available that has fittings for the EGR valve AND the AIR pump? If so, what is the casting number? Thanks!!!!
Scott, I'm not 100% sure on this, but I believe by 75 or 76 , Buick stopped with the smog pumps and just used egr valves on those engines. , I'm pretty sure I've thrown out some manifolds that had onlt egr provisions but no smog pump provisions. You can always bolt on a 73 or 74 manifold to get both if you want it. Jim Burek
