Removing California Emissions System

[Ray Cecil]

How will removing all the vacuum lines, EGR valve etc effect the timing and ignition control. Should I wait until I get the 1 wire distributor, performance i take and carb?

[Gary Lewis]

The system you have is all or nothing.  Change one thing the computer doesn't like and it'll lock the timing, killing performance and MPG.  

[Ray Cecil]

Gary, considering what you said, Im looking at all these cracked vacuum lines, no smog pump, and wondering.....how is this thing running as good as it is. If its all or nothing, how is it not running currently in limp mode??

[Gary Lewis]

Just think how much better it is going to run w/o all those cracked lines.  

[BullnoseHunter02]

didnt California use detuned verions of the standard engines aswell? im actually intrested in wactching this thread! Good luck!

[Ray Cecil]

BullnoseHunter02 wrote

didnt California use detuned verions of the standard engines aswell? im actually intrested in wactching this thread! Good luck!

I have no idea. Im going to pull engine, clean, remove cali garbage, DUI HEI dizzy. Should run fine. I am pondering which intake, header and carb package to go with.

[Gary Lewis]

BullnoseHunter02 wrote

didnt California use detuned verions of the standard engines aswell? im actually intrested in wactching this thread! Good luck!

Jein.  Engines/300 Six and go to the Specifications tab and scroll down to the 1982 info.

[Rembrant]

Is this '82 an EEC truck with a Feedback carb?

I think I had it in my head that EEC didn't show up until later, like 1984-up, but I really have no idea.

[Gary Lewis]

Cory - It is a CA-spec truck, but without the calibration code I can't prove it has EEC or not.

Ray - If you can find the calibration code, something like 2-51X-R0, then I can determine a lot about the system.

[Ray Cecil]

Where would I look?

[BullnoseHunter02]

The VIN might be a good start. If you are looking to pull the stuff off the engine, then mabe try like a block number or something, might have a code on there. Also, if it has the smog stuff on it, check that aswell.

[Ray Cecil]

Is it on here?

[Gary Lewis]

The VIN is on there, but it won't tell you about the emissions package.  You find that with the calibration code.  As it says, that label is usually on the valve cover.  Get the #, like the 2-3A-R10, and I'll look it up.

[Ray Cecil]

That code wasnt anywhere on the valve cover. I didnt look too hard anywhere else.

Anyway, the Cali junk is off.

After reading some specs on here about the heater hose circuit, looks like I have a special thermostat housing too. There is what I thought to be a vacuum operated heater co trol valve. But now, I believe it is a Cali emissions system temp switch. None of the four vacuum lines went to anything but the other cali emissions components.

So, I guess I will remove that and put a plug in that hole.

And, I guess I need to instal a heater control valve, a manual one.

[Ray Cecil]

[Rembrant]

Well done Ray!

Are you getting rid of all this stuff?

[Ray Cecil]

Rembrant wrote

Well done Ray!

Are you getting rid of all this stuff?

Yes Sir. Cleans up the engine bay a lot.

The wire harness was easy to remove. All that needs to remain in the truck is the tach wire, switched 12v for coil, oil pressure wire, and coolant temp wire. You do need to remove the wire wrapping, then rewrap, but that isnt too hard.

[Ray Cecil]

You can also see in the above photo the 4 port vacuum sensor stuck in the thermostat housing. I am guessing a non cali/non emission 300 thermostat housing looks much different.

[Gary Lewis]

All 82's used EOTZ 8592-B as the thermostat housing, which Ford calls a Connector.  The difference was in what screwed into the port.

[85lebaront2]

Ray, from the distributor and lake of a mixture solenoid on the carburetor, your truck did not have the computer controlled system. You could have kept the DS-II system instead of going to a damn Chevy distributor.

One thing I will tell you from personal experience on an older Chevy truck, you will want to add a relay to provide the needed 12V high current feed to the HEI distributor. If the 1982 ignition feed wiring has a way to bypass the resistance wire easily then you might be ok there. The 1985.5 through 1987 trucks had the capability to have a 12V feed to the TFI ignition or a resisted feed for the DS-II as both systems were used depending on the engine installed.