I am a /6 newbie and recently bought an '85 Ram pickup with a 225 in it. Im VERY excited about the things Ive read/heard on here with regards to performance upgrades and am looking forward to playing with what this engine can do. The truck came from a naval air base and only has 40k miles on it and the engine is in very good shape but sounds like a quartet of midgets playing the spoons due to the air pump.
Can I remove all that stuff in order to clean up my engine compartment and free up HP or are there special considerations I have to make? Id love to end up with a fast truck with one of those sexy cleaned out E.Compartments and a sweet looking engine without all those hoses and charcoal canisters. I would appreciate any comments you could make. Also congratulations on a fantastic forum that I am proud to be a part of.

Hey,

You can remove all that stuff and go back to a "simpler time" with your slant 6. You may have to change to a distributor with vac. advance, as your electronic one may depend on the computer to do the advance work.

BUT, the real answer to the question of removing emissions equipment comes from your state inspection regulations and procedures, and how those are interpreted at your local inspection station.

You need to find out whether they do underhood inspections of 1985 model years (some states require everything to be there and be hooked up). Also, do they do an emissions test? And do they base that test on the specific emissions for that year, or just a "default level" for pre-1990 cars & trucks?

You may still be able to pass emission standards without the airpump... it depends on how well you build your engine and how strict the state of Maine is.

All this varies from state to state. I'll be moving to Maine in 2 years, so let me know what you find out!

-Mac

After talking to my inspection station here I'm happy to say that I only need to have a catalytic converter in the exhaust line to pass state regs. So I WILL be removing the air pump system and will report my results soon. Also planning to do a valve job and replace the camshaft. I might get a set of Dutra duals later depending on the gains I see. Thanks for the reply...Ill see what I can do about finding a better carb with the vac advance I need.

IIRC EGR doesn't hurt horse power. It might actually help lower octane requirements?

Shoot me if I am wrong!! Mine doesn't have one from the factory. The M-1 has a place for it

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'72 Duster 198 stock cam, 3:23's Hookers on jack stands for 8 years in the driveway
'79 Maxivan 360 Offy Qjet Comp RV cam/rusting in the driveway.
93 D350 160HP Cummins Auto Dually Clubcab needs a injector pump
2005 Golden Couch Buick

That wouldn't be so wise or productive as you might think. The air pump takes almost zero power to spin, and doesn't cause any measurable loss of usable power or any other negative effects. Without it, the catalytic converter is much less effective and stands a good chance of overheating, melting internally, and severely restricting exhaust flow. This is one of those devices that's worth leaving in place even if only for selfish reasons: Even if you and your state don't care a feather or a fig how much pollution your truck puts out, leaving the air injection intact makes the truck more tolerable (less stinky) to be around when it's running! Depending on the exact AIR setup your truck has right now, it might be worthwhile to modify it slightly in terms of where it injects air, but dismantling and removing it...? Naw.

You may want to read through this post before you make any decisions on which emission control devices and systems to keep and which ones to discard. Certainly there is a lot of room for improvement in your '85, a great deal of which comes by removing or altering certain emissions-related components—chiefly the carburetor and ignition system, and of course a lower-restriction exhaust system with a thoughtfully-selected catalytic converter). But removing items just because they are emissions-related generally isn't the way to have fun, and can in fact cause undesireable consequences.
Not a bad idea if a valve job is needed. The stock hydraulic cam is pretty wimpy, and usually installed in a randomly-retarded position even when new (the timing gets worse as the chain and sprockets wear, not better), so it might interest you to know that the Erson people are happy to grind you whatever hydraulic slant-6 cam you'd like as a part of their special deal for slant-6ers. And it'll be worth your while to use a quality timing chain and sprocket set and spend the time and effort to get the cam degreed-in accurately.
Great idea. Y'know, they make high-flow catalytic converters with two inlets and one outlet that'd be perfect for use with Dutra Duals. Take a look at the Catco #2613.
Well, are you looking for a 1bbl or a 2bbl?

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

OK, checked out the post Dan referenced in his reply in this thread. My question is, What has been done by folks when Putting a, say, 77 slant into an older A-body? As in Cat converter etc. Have you kept it? If not then should the smog pump go away as well?

It's not a good idea to try to install a catalytic converter in a car that was not originally so equipped. When installing a later engine into an earlier car, the catalyst is omitted and, in that case, the air pump and related components can be omitted as well.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Thanks Dan, that's what I thought