Eric:
Don't despair. Your B can be saved. Do it step-by-step though.
First, put back or get the original carb & manifolds. Add the cat to the
package. Install all of the other emissions plumbing. But, forget about
the air pump & rail for now. I had an '80 B here in Connecticut thus
equipped that got through our near-California-level test ok.
The stock carb is relatively tunable for emissions. But it results in poor
performance. Here's the drill:
I would make an appointment with my mechanic for first thing Saturday
morning. He would put the car on his exhaust analyser and adjust the timing
& carb for low co & hc's. I'd drive (barely) to the test station. Try to
keep the car as cool as possible (The colder to day the better.). After
passing, I'd go back to Mechanic Bob & have him adjust carb & timing for
performance & drivability.
And, in 5 years my B only failed once. And, that was because I didn't have
one of two cooling fans operating. And, didn't follow my own advice.
My ultimate solution to this annual ritual was that I sold the '80 & bought
a '66. No more testing.
An additional benefit to having the cat is that I no longer needed the
center muffler for reasonable exhaust sound. With the cat & an ANSA rear
muffler, it purred nicely. Not loud, just mellow.
Norm Sippel
'66 MGB
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