Putting catalytic converter on older car?

[blade]

i believe you need an egr setup to get heat for c c and alot of them need airpumps you can put a cam in it and tune it and find a shop that does 4 gas checks you can tweek the carb alot to get it to run good and not produce alot of emmisions. keep us informed at what you do iteresting ideas

[mechman600]

Modern catalytic converters can handle more abuse than most people think. It's only when a misfire develops with raw fuel being dumped into the exhaust that they will turn to molten lava while innocently doing their job of oxidizing HC. The cats in the 70's were notoriously easy to damage, which is why 90% of them were removed in the first 5 years of the car's life.

Here's the latest AirCare emission test from the carbed '84 Volvo that I might buy for $500. 350,000 km on the odometer.
Driving HC: 47ppm
Driving CO: 1.14%
Driving NOx:925ppm
Idle HC: 32ppm
Idle CO: 0.61%

Needless to say, a PASS with flying colors. Keep in mind that the Solex style constant velocity carb was notoriously accurate in its fuel metering, as long as the ATF "reference fluid" reservoir was kept at the proper level.

I imagine that one of these carbs would be a simple install on your '64 Chevy six. An aftermarket generic cat would work absolutely perfect. But, a TBI setup from an S10 would also work well, as they are also simple.

[slowmover]

I had plenty of carb'd cars, several with cats. To retrofit isn't as worthwhile at might first seem apparent. The "stink" is associated mainly with a cold motor. Sure, it'll never be as "clean" as one with a cat, but as with the example above, one can build a "performance" motor that is about maximizing BSFC for either town or country driving. Decide what it will be used for, and go to folks like Bruce Crower who have a long history of highly efficient motors going back decades. Conpression ratio, piston quench, bore/stroke ratio, all sorts of fun details to go through. A good five speed would be ideal, IMO, as memory seems to say that in the old days that a V8 with the proper load on it, gear-by-gear, always seemed to be worked a tad harder where it mattered. That made for one internally clean compared to a lazy motor never used hard. Definite stink reduction . . although I for one miss the sweet smell of tetraethyl lead and the sound of a high compression gasoline engine.

One has to learn to distinguish between just well-burnt gas, and a motor way out of whack. Huge difference. All sorts of info in that exhaust.

[sc2dave]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

Just a guess, but a '64 Impala is such a gross polluter, my guess is it would clog a cat in 100 miles of driving. Do yourself and all the air-breathing organisms in the world a favor, and let that dinosaur rot in the junkyard. A carbureted '64 isn't capable of burning close to stoichiometric. It lacks the oxygen and temperature sensors and feedback systems needed to control its emissions, and to prevent the cat from being destroyed.

you just adapt a newer style carb with perhaps feedback,properly done,problem solved.No need to let a classic go and rot in a junkyard.