Ben,
You make a very good point about cat converters on carbureted cars.
Trevor has a point also. If the car's air/fuel ratio is kept close to
stoichiometric ideal a car can benefit from the installation of a
converter. But, if vintage car owners think they can reduce emissions by
installing a converter, while their engine is running rich, they're in
for bigger problems and a possible melt-down disaster.
I installed one of those O2 sensor/LED gauges on one of my Spits to help
dial in a pair of Webers. It made the job a lot easier by eliminating
the guesswork when one of my jet selections didn't quite work right--I
knew immediately if the car was running too rich or too lean at a given
rpm and load.
Anyway, as far as the cat converter installation on a non-O2 sensor
feedback car, what's the air/fuel ratio at which meltdown becomes a
reality? 8:1? 10:1? I'm not trying to be flip here, just curious.
If a government regulation, sometime in our future, requires us to
install one of these devices to comply with some eco-weenie's concept of
what's good, a "disaster" figure for air/fuel ratio may be of help to
one, or more, of our drivers.
I know I don't want my Spitfires burning to the water line.
Charlie B.
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