From the sound of it the Air Pump on my 80 is shot. My guess is the bearings. Anyhow whats the quickest fix to this. Am I ok just to remove the belt or do I need to go through the whole process of removing all the tubes etc. I've got all but one part in for the interior and I really don't want to switch gears right now.

Thanks

You can remove the belt if the smog pump is the only thing it operates. I wouldn't recommend running it like that forever, but it would be OK 'till you get it replaced/repaired. It could eventually burn the rubber hoses out. The bearings can be replaced, if needed, and the pump can be completely rebuilt, depending on what the damage is, but remember, "The longer you drive it like that, the more it'll cost to fix it"

Thanks, we used to pull the belts all the time. Didn't ever think about the damage it could cause. I plan to keep the vette for a while so I didn't want to screw it up.

I think you'll be OK for a while, but don't let it go too long. It can damage the cat. convertor, also, and those things ain't cheap!

It won't hurt the converter.  The converter needs to react to the combination of oxygen and fuel to operate.  The fuel is in the form of unburned exhaust (HC) or partly burned exhaust (CO).  Without enough air it won't react and therfore won't hurt itself.  It does however create more pollution.   Here the rub long term.   If the converter does not react  at least some, it won't get hot enough to keep the surface clean.  If the surface becomes clogged with deposits, the exhaust can hit the surface, and therfore the converter won't operate.  This can be cured with a good carbon cleaner.  Top Engine Cleaner does an excellent job.  So does Justice Brothers and Techtron.  Just the oxygen left over from combustion should be enough to keep the converter operational and fairly clean, provided the fuel mixture is correct.  If it has been set rich it can cause the clogging and damage.  Many of our cars now run a bit richer than they did at the factory due to mods or adjustment made to get a bit more performance.  In this case it can hurt the converter.

It won't hurt the hoses unless exhaust gasses pass backwards through the check valves.  Good check valves will stop any backflow.  But used valves do wear, and collect deposits preventing good seals, so some leakage is almost a given, unless the valves are new.  They are not.  This also won't create much damage until long term when the deposits create problems for future operation.  If the valves don't leak at all you can run that way forever.  Chances are the valves have at least a slight leakage.  With a more pronouced leakage the hot exhaust gasses will cause severe damage to the check valves, compounding the problem, and also damage the hoses.  It can also back up into the pump and create damage to it as well.  Over a long period the tubes to the manifold can clog, requireing replacement of the entire system.  But this is only if the engine is not running properly, or a bit rich.  Good Old carbon deposits.

Keep in mind, the air from the pump only goes to the exhaust maniflold when the engine is cold.  This supplies oxygen to the hot unburned gasses from a rich condition to further burn the mix in the manifolds, and reduce cold emissions.   When warm, the system switches and only supplies air to the cat converter, past the oxygen sensor if it has one.  Your 80 does not.  Some systems do only one or the other.  You can take a look at the plumbing as see where it goes to see if it does both, or just one.

Bottom line in simpler words, Joel is right.

Boy am I glad my 71 was built before all that emission crap.

Thanks Guys, Quite frankly this is the reason that this site is so good. Not only did I get the answer I needed but I got the how and why. My original plan was to remove all this smog junk. In florida there are no longer inspections so thats not an issue. But your responses bring me to think. Am I heading down the wrong road by looking for improved performance through headers, true duals and a change of intake and carb? Or am I just spending money to create a less reliable and efficient engine.

throw out the smog crap and join the modified go-fast Vette's.I run  with Holley 650, Edelbrock low high rise intake (so I didn'thave to change my hood), Dyno-max headers, and dual Flowmasters. She gets fed real good.

The air pump sytem helps emissions.  It does not affect the way the car runs if it is not working.  (If it's pumping air to the intake manifold when fully warm, that's an operation problem.  It can make the engine run hot)

There is NO benefit to keeping the system unless you want original look, or you have to deal with emission testing.

If you want more power, the headers, intake, and cam are a good way to go.  You may also want heads, or clean up the heads you have.  Just make sure you get the correct parts for you target.  Mismatched performance parts can actually make the car run worse.

I'm trying to keep mine all original. Does anyone rebuild smog pumps? Mine has the original part numbers and I don't want a "generic" one from one of the vendors.

Thanks,

Matt