California AIR System

Q: California AIR System

I have a 1967 firebird with a 326ci with a 4 bbl carter carb and it had factory air. the car has a smog pump which i tried removing but the heads had holes in them that had hoses coming out and joining to some sort of object in the middle then in turn connected to the smog pump which had a hose connecting to the air filter. i tried plugging the holes in the heads but the engine would just starve for air when i tried turning the car on, and it would make a weird popping noise when i kept them unplugged could anybody help me with these problems?

A: Concerning your AIR pump. First off, let me start out by saying that the AIR system you are refering to came on California Firebirds only, and is somewhat rare. If you plan to remove it, keep it intact, and that includes the vent tube from the right rocker to the air cleaner, and the air cleaner as well. (If you are just going to toss it, let me know and I’ll purchase it from you at a fair price.) You can remove the AIR system from your car and run without it. All Pontiac heads from 1967 have the holes in the heads that you are refering to. Non-AIR equiped cars have ‘plugs” which are screwed into the heads. Remove the AIR pump and associated plumbing. Screw in the plugs into both heads, and plug the the inlet on the underside of the air cleaner. That’s it. If the engine was starving for air, it wasn’t because you plugged the AIR ports in the heads. Look for another problem. The AIR system is masking it.

Key Words: AIR, A.I.R., emissions, CARB, Air Injector Reactor

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