Cleaning Up Engine Compartment
Thread Starter
Disabled by request 8 JUN 2025
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 329
Likes: 94
From: St. Augustine, FL
Cleaning Up Engine Compartment
1981 L48.....I am in the processing of de-smogging the engine compartment of my '81.(no smog laws) My desire is to make it look unencumbered similar to the early 70's models. The PO had already taken the air pump off and removed the vacuum hoses from the air cleaner. I have replaced the computer carb with an earlier model quadrajet and a new HEI distributor. My question is: can I remove all vacuum and associated lines going to the fuel vapor canister? Will the gas tank vent be affected?
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,950
Likes: 498
From: Chino Hills CA
I'm not the expert, so others can chime in, but I'm pretty sure you can get rid of the cannister. Plug any lines at the tank end, so that there's only one line going from the tank to your fuel pump. Since you'll need air to displace the fuel going to the carb, you should have a vented gas cap. My cap was a vacuum cap, so I drilled a tiny hole in it to make it a vented cap. No Issues in 15 years.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
You can do whatever you want. It's your car. Now, if your question is" what makes sense to remove", many will have widely different opinions. One thing that few folks will argue is that the vapor canister is one item that should stay plumbed as it came from the factory. It does NO HARM to anything: doesn't take extra fuel (actually saves some); it doesn't take power from the engine: and it doesn't reduce engine performance. It DOES keep the fuel smell down in the garage, and it also acts as the vent for the fuel tank. If you choose to remove it, you must add a vent to the tank or install a vented gas cap.
P.S. It also needs to be plumbed correctly for it to work right...or to work at all.
P.S. It also needs to be plumbed correctly for it to work right...or to work at all.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 457
Likes: 132
From: England
So would there be a problem in just removing the short length of hose between the tank and the vent pipe and allowing the tank to vent through the open end? There is a ball valve inside the tank on the vent pipe connection so if you roll the car fuel shouldn't come pouring out.
Thread Starter
Disabled by request 8 JUN 2025
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 329
Likes: 94
From: St. Augustine, FL
I'm hoping that I can locate the tank vent hose and just leave it open as someone suggested. My main objective is to get the multitude of hoses off the intake manifold and just have the single one going to the pcv valve, leaving the booster, headlights, and transmission vacuum modulator of course.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
As I mentioned, you can do what you want. But, you should have the P/B booster on a separate vacuum line...preferably a larger line coming directly from the base of your carb. Research it, if you want to know why. The others can be tied together and plumbed from one manifold fitting.
Thread Starter
Disabled by request 8 JUN 2025
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 329
Likes: 94
From: St. Augustine, FL
Yes, the power booster comes off a fitting on the base on the rear of the quadrajet. The others I mentioned come off a fitting on the rear of the intake manifold.
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Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
The 'place in hell' for those who paint everything under the hood black is that, when they come to their senses, THEY have to remove all of that paint from everything under the hood.
Either that, or they sell the car at a loss.....or just live with it that way; and some are fine with that.
Either that, or they sell the car at a loss.....or just live with it that way; and some are fine with that.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 3,399
Likes: 278
From: Olmsted Falls, Ohio
Spring car show down in Southern Ohio I seen a yellow rice burner all decked out with 4 inch fart pipes and huge rear spoiler topped off with a bumble-bee stripe down the length of the car.
The engine comparment must have had a gallon of yellow paint exploded inside with the hood closed. There wasn't anything that was not yellow, EXCEPT for the engine and everything on that was black. I think he was trying to make the bumble-bee stripe appear like it was in there as well. PUKE! What a waste of money.
I didn't ask, but maybe it was a Transformer......Although that was best served up as a Camaro.
The engine comparment must have had a gallon of yellow paint exploded inside with the hood closed. There wasn't anything that was not yellow, EXCEPT for the engine and everything on that was black. I think he was trying to make the bumble-bee stripe appear like it was in there as well. PUKE! What a waste of money.
I didn't ask, but maybe it was a Transformer......Although that was best served up as a Camaro.
Last edited by KenSny; Jun 9, 2019 at 09:03 AM.