Zagato catalytic converter?

[Ferdman]

We have an '82 Zagato that was recently purchased and won't pass emissions here in California. It was deemed a "gross pollutor." My first inkling is to replace the catalytic converter. Heck, the car's 24 years old. I would like to know the size catalytic converter specs. What are the inlet and outllet diameters; 2" or 2 1/4", or whatever? Is there an oxygen sensor hole? Air tube? Basically, I would like to know if there's a manufacturer out there that makes the best fitting universal hi flow cat converter for the FI Zagato? Thanks in advanced.

[Gregory Smith]

Before you spend the time and money to replace the catalytic converter, try to determine if everything else is correct.

Check the timing, and make sure the O2 sensor and Temp Sensor II are working correctly. I know many folks who have no converter who's cars pass emissions in Washington.

The L-Jet system works very well when maintained and tuned correctly.

[SubGothius]

In agreement here that any '81-82 FI Beta should not be a "gross polluter" in any sense whatsoever when the Bosch FI is operating properly; indeed, I concur the cat wasn't even necessary to pass emissions tests, other than the visual eqpt. check that required having a cat on all USA cars (a case of mandating a particular solution vs. measuring to a quantitative standard ::) ) -- one might as well hollow out an old cat shell and bolt that on to pass the eqpt. check and still pass the real tests (ahem, not that I would recommend anyone actually do that, mind you... ;) ).

However, if ye want to stay strictly legal and must get a good new cat, Ed at Caribou (http://caribou.cc/") also sells free-flow Sports Car Converters (http://members.aol.com/SportsCarConvert/Italian.html). First be absolutely sure the FI is working as it should, as these free-flow cats (tho' really, any new cat seems free-flow compared to a crufty old stock cat!) can get dangerously hot if you're not running in proper tune.

(PS, Ferdman -- my gpa's first name and my dad's middle name was Ferd(inand); I just got the initial "F" alone as my middle name, hence no "." after it :) )

[Gregory Smith]

Caveat emptor regarding Ed, as he's had a hard time customer-relations-wise lately. In fact I'm not sure he's still in business.

I got parts from him in the mid- to late- nineties without trouble, but there are stories of undelivered goods and unprocessed refunds out there if you dig. Long delays and poor communication seem to be the problems.

A competent exhaust shop should be able to adapt your stock flanges to any correctly-sized free-flow cat. But that money can buy a lot of tune up parts!

[radioal]

I, too have been hearing things about Ed's problems on the other board. That's really a shame because I had a really good experience purchasing a convertor from him for my wife's BMW a couple of years back. It was about 1/5 the cost of the BMW part and less than 1/2 of what Bavarian wanted for aftermarket. It was a really good fit in spite of the fact that it was an aftermarket that looked NOTHING like the original. He merely processed the credit card and the actual convertor drop-shipped from the manufacturer about a day later.

As a off-topic note, if you park a BMW 740iL next to a small cliff during a tropical storm, water running off the cliff will somehow find its way over the right front tire into the engine compartment. From here, it will somehow travel down into the coil pack for one of the plugs. If you attempt to drive it home from your already storm-ruined vacation in this condition, the raw gas pumping through the dead cylinder will burn in the catalyst so hotly that it will actually melt a hole in it. I know this from experience. I still remind the wife that she wanted to take the BMW rather than my 124 because we were expecting bad weather...

Al

[Ferdman]

Hey thanks for the replies all. The car is my sister's. It's her mid life crisis car and trying to get back her youth by buying another one. She had a Zagato when she was in college. :) I agree that we need to make sure it's tuned up properly before we start changing stuff like the cat converter. We bought the car sight unseen via an ad in Viva-Lancia.com and had it shipped cross country. It had a few problems like the shift linkage that needed to be rebuilt and a gas leak in the hard lines that needed to be cut and replaced. Now that we can drive it, we now have to smog and register it. Anybody know any Zagato or Lancia specialist in southern California?

Yes, I know about Ed at Caribou. I've had dealings with him personally and have been to his shop when it was if it still is in Orange County. I called one time to get some advice about mounting some European headlights for our Scorpions, but since I didn't buy them from him, he bascially told me to f*ck off. We'll do business elsewhere, thank you.

(SubGothius, yes my name is Ferdinand. Ferdman is a nickname that stuck.)

[Betazag]

When I finally got my 82 Zagato road-worthy, it would not pass the emissions test...the exhaust smelled like carbon monoxide on steroids. A new O2 sensor was the ticket and the monetary tip I gave Carlos at the shop didn't hurt either. ::)

[Ferdman]

Tipping Carlos is, I believe, not as easy here in the People's Republic of Kalifornia because the testing infrastructure/system they got going and is more difficult to bypass than other states. The tipping is much higher here if you know what I mean. How ironic that you're in North Carolina. That's where we got this car from.