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If I were to actually sell the car would de-smogging it hurt the resale value? I just bought a nice 1983 and was wondering if removing the air pump and all the associated hardware would matter? Just seems the motor would look less cluttered. No, I don't have emissions laws to worry about and yes, I would keep all the parts.
But the intent would be to keep all of the working parts so everything could be put back to stock if required. The only thing I have to research, and I am sure others have already done this, is what to use to plug the air rail holes in the head. I believe I read somewhere brass plugs could be used.
I used those mcmaster carr hex drive screws on an '84 and they were the perfect fit. I think the benefit of removing the smog equipment and de-cluttering the engine far outweighs any speculative impact on resale value.
What is DE-SMOGGING? never heard of this before, I know what the parts are and have seen these clutter free engine bays before, but this term and principle is new to me, could some enlighten me it looks interesting
Some due this to de-clutter.
Others do this to improve engine performance....although positive results here are not always guaranteed, as some emission control stuff really doesn't impact engine performance.
Ive been considering removal exhaust manifold heat shield. Any issues that I could encounter considering my manifolds are bare iron and not coated like yours?
I was wondering the same thing about removing the heat shield but would not want to do so at the expense of damaging something. Sure, the manifold could be taken off and ceramic coated, but would that cut down the heat radiated enough to prevent damage?
A note on cracking loose the air manifold compression fittings. I found a set of flare wrench crow's feet wrenches at Harbor Freight for just under $15.00. The design of the crow's foot gave more bite on the fitting and with a long extension the 90 degrees gave more leverage than trying to loosen the fittings with a normal box end wrench. Once cracked loose then I was able to use a normal box end wrench to finish removing all 6 of the air manifold fittings.
Yes, I removed the heat shield, but note that I fabricated a two heat shields out of Mr Gasket. A sheet of exhaust gasket material available on EBay. One is protecting the A/C Compressor and the other the Steering Tower. And I wrapped a couple of the A/C hoses with heat shield wrap. I have no issues.
I would say yes. Just look at BAT. If a vehicle is unable to be sold in CA it sells at a significant discount due to the vastly reduced market of potential buyers. It's also illegal, even in states with no emissions tests since there is federal law that prevents the removal (40 C.F.R. §§ 1068.101(b)). That being said, so many people do it but your question was specifically about resale value.
If AIR system is removed just save the parts. That's a no-brainer.
On a Series III XJ6 the system can be removed/reinstalled in a couple hours at virtually zero cost. You could reinstall it before selling the car (probably the best bet) or leave it for the buyer to do. It's an easy DIY task. It really is small potatoes, doubly so compared to the far more consequential issues that a potential buyer would/should be looking at when considering one of these cars:
-Rust, especially around front/rear sceens
-Head gasket leaks
-Inoperative climate control
-Poor condition paint and leather
-Braking system needing overhaul
-I could go on and on
If you're selling a Series III that is in gorgeous condition with all the mechanicals sorted, the air injection system being removed shouldn't amount to a hill of beans. The buyer isn't paying for the air injection system. He's paying for the gorgeous paint and leather, rust free body, and fully sorted mechanicals. That is where the resale value resides with these cars.
If you're selling a Series III that is something less than gorgeous cosmetically, is beginning to rust, and needs the usual sorting-out of mechanicals, then the air injection system will be the very least of the buyer's worries.
I say all this under the assumption that the car will be marketed as a hobby/special interest/quasi-classic car where potential buyers have some degree of automotive knowledge. These are not mainstrream used cars. Buyers looking for a easy-to-own used car to send their daughter off to college in won't be looking at this car.
If you decide to remove the parts, make sure to clearly label the box, exactly what's inside the box, what car it goes to and store it so that the label is very obvious. Also put some note in the envelope or folder with the car's title alerting someone that there's a box of parts on the top shelf in the garage that should go with the car. That's how most of these original parts get lost. The owner sells the car a decade later and forgets about the box of parts, or dies and the widow/heir sells the car without knowing anything about the box of parts. Then sadly someone will be cleaning out the garage another decade later, discover an unlabeled box of parts, assume they're broken or have little to no value and throw them away. Something simple like a post-it-note stuck to the title can help make sure the removed parts stay with the Jaguar.
Great advice, Pdupler. You see so many cars being sold by the owner's heirs with no details, no history, no clue. Write things down and keep the info with your estate information or at least somewhere that your family knows where it is. Ideally pre-plan the whole thing so your pride and joy goes to a good home.
That's an interesting topic deserving its own thread. It's called getting your affairs in order. I have a Maintenance Log book (on Excel) going back to 3/20/2003 when I bought my Jaguar. I've also consolidated it into a 3 pager "What I've done with my Jaguar over the years" document. And ALL my computer folders and files (all well labled) that I've collected over those years, including the Maintenace Log spreadsheet is on a USB stick. All six of my XJ6 marked plastic bins of stuff is referred to in this document. And my Wife knows where everything is. At some point, whether I'm alive or not, I want her to go to a good home. And someone will recognize what they see. It's not really about the money though.
De-Smog Hurt Resale Value?
