Crappy smog control device

[rodneyramjet]

I know my step-dad hated this Carter Emission Reduction kit that the police-state of California made him install when we moved there in 73. I plan on taking it off now that the car is safely across the border in Arizona.  Anyone know what I will need to do to adjust things so it runs right after taking this poorly conceived piece of crap off?

[Kern Dog]

This is a joke, right?
Hey, I like to be helpful but this seems too easy. The white wire connected to the radiator hose, the cluster of wires coming off of that silver box....What the hell is that?
Whether you are in California or Arizona, California emission testing is only required for cars built for the 1976 model year and newer. You could have removed the smog control stuff years and years ago. In 1998 the law was rolled back from 1966 and newer to 1976. I guess you never heard about that?
I'm not sure what the requirements are in Arizona in regards to emission testing but my experience is that currently,no state requires any non stock add-on devices for compliance.
That silver unit probably limits spark advance somehow. They had other types of devices in the 70s with the goal being the reduction in NOX, Nitrogens of oxygen. Most focused on ignition timing reductions.
It appears that you are concerned that yanking this thing out will cause the car to not run. All you'd have to do is unwrap the wire harness where this unit ties into the factory wiring and solder the factory connections back together. The color codes of the factory wiring are consistent, in other words the light purple wire that connects to the water temp sending unit is the ONLY light purple wire in the system. These old harnesses were simple. Nowhere near as many wires as todays new cars. A Factory Service Manual with a wire diagram would really help you out.
No matter what, get rid of that upper radiator hose and strange white wire!

[Sublime/Sixpack]

 It looks as though there is some type of heat sensor attached to the top of the radiator hose that a white wire and black wire both run to from the Carter device., also a few other wires connected and/or spliced in to existing wiring. As KD mentioned this device should be easy to remove and then reconnect the stock wiring as it once was.  One could use electrical connectors or solder to reconnect the original wiring. Also the use heat shrink insulation over new connections would be a good idea.

[rodneyramjet]

Thank you Sublime.

Mr. Dog, your version of helpful is somewhat unconventional...no this is not a joke...this is a car I inherited recently that hadn't ran since 1983 as posted by a complete newbie to the world of electrical automotive control wiring.

I did just today receive my service manual...maybe I can work out what goes where from that and then learn straight out of the book how to adjust anything else that might need to be changed...vacuum advance, timing, air fuel mixture...I'm just guessing on that stuff.

[Kern Dog]

I thought this was a delayed April Fools joke. I have not seen one of those early smog/NOX boxes in many years! I thought you had posted it up to see who bites on it. 

[rodneyramjet]

I can see how that could look like a April fools day joke...

I'm just trying to anticipate what I might need to do after I remove it...the car runs pretty good as is but I know that piece of crap box has to go...just hate to find out it runs even worse with it off because I am overlooking something.  I know I need to learn how to eventually tune the car....just don't want it to be down for weeks because I am barking up the wrong tree.

This info shown below is also stuck to the inside of the fender...I don't know if it is related to the stupid box or not.  In any case, should I just go through the tuning steps listed in the service manual once I remove the crappy box, or is something else happening here I am not considering?  Thanks in advance.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

You did state that the engine runs pretty good as it is now. I would think once you put everything back the way it was from the factory you wouldn't have to do anything else. Although it wouldn't hurt to check the timing. But if the engine runs fine you should be good to go.
Now if the engine isn't running as well as you think it should, it may mean you need new plugs, or wires, or dist. cap, or a carb rebuild, etc.
You could start with a compression test of each cylinder to get an idea of the health of the engine then go from there.

[Kern Dog]

That looks like an official factory applied emission sticker! People buy reproductions of those to install after a repaint.
I think I know the way you feel about this...Let me see if I have it right:
Everyone you ask tells you how easy it is to do, but you have limited experience  with it so you feel nervous messing with it.
Am I close?
I am RIGHT there with you !!  Even though i can rebuild engines, do upholstery, brake, suspension, body and paint....I still get a bit confused with electrical stuff. I had a buddy that would always play it off like it was so easy....It sorta made me feel like an idiot for not having more confidence in myself. I have improved my soldering skills with his help. I have learned a little of how to make a harness using factory type connectors and terminals. I am not great at it yet but I am now able to fumble my way through with 3 times the confidence I had 2 years ago. I am a member of a local Mopar club so I have a few buddies to call when I get mixed up on what to do.
I have the habit of jumping in on things that I know very little about, then I often figure out the right and wrong way of doing it along the way. I have screwed up several times while learning. My welding skills are not great but I am learning. My paint skills are fair but also improving. You are smart enough to ask for suggestions so you are doing okay.
Just to repeat or clarify my prior suggestion:  I'd completely unwrap the tape around the entire CARTER box and look at where it connects into the original factory wiring. There is likely a couple of factory wires that look like they were cut and spliced into. Chances are very good that if you rejoin the same color wires that were cut, (To install the CARTER box) The car will run right. My thoughts are that it ties into the distributor somehow. They had a black wire and a gray wire with a black stripe for several years. 400 2 barrel, right?
I'd still suggest getting a wire diagram to make sure. If you had more pictures to post up, that might help.

[rodneyramjet]

Thanks all...it was easier than I thought.  The service manual showed me what wires weren't supposed to be there and the rest was easy.  Basically it just tied into both sides of the coil and the mystery box and the temperature thingy and some other piece of crap.

Took the car out on the public roadway for the first time with the wife and grabbed a hamburger tonight. Very cool.  The front end feels a little loose but hard to say since I am comparing to our 2010 CRV or my 2004 Tacoma.

The automatic transmission shifts really nice.

The engine feels solid but seems like it could use a tuneup.  Last tuneup it had was in about 1982 or so and was setup for sea level.  I'm at about 2,600 feet here. I need to think about decent gas and/or additives too...I'll do some searches here.

All in all things are progressing  nicely!   

[Kern Dog]

Heck yeah...
You do have to take it into perspective. New cars do ride nice, handle better and have less wind noise than the old cars. Plenty of things can be done  to our old cars to make them stop, handle and feel more comfortable. Plenty of FREE advice here for all of that.

[375instroke]

Most of that aftermarket, and the factory stuff, too, delayed spark advance, or limited it in some way.  That box looks like it controls a solenoid of some sort that's between the ported vacuum and the distributor vacuum advance.  Is this true?  Make sure the ported vacuum port on the carb is connected to the vacuum advance on the distributor.  Adjust the timing and fuel mixture to best lean idle, and check full advance if you can.  These retrofit things were half assed, but how much were people going to spend?  The sky was brown when I was a kid in SoCal.  There were days called smog days where they wouldn't let us go outside to play, and they told the population not to do any strenuous activity because the air was so poisoned.  By high school, after the crackdown on SMOG, the sky turned blue.  I liked breathing.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

Thanks all...it was easier than I thought.  The service manual showed me what wires weren't supposed to be there and the rest was easy.  Basically it just tied into both sides of the coil and the mystery box and the temperature thingy and some other piece of crap.

I figured you'd feel that way after you dug into it.  

[John_Kunkel]

Most of that aftermarket, and the factory stuff, too, delayed spark advance, or limited it in some way. 

In a lot of cases (including factory) the control merely modifies the spark advance during deceleration, hardly noticed or not noticed at all by the driver.

Lots of people are quick to condemn any emissions control device even when it's rather benign.

[Kern Dog]

I do agree to a point. EGR is one of the "smog" devices that can help with minimal bad effect if any.