| > Any tips on tightening the cat-to-manifold seal?  Mine is coming apart
> again, and I just broke off one of the studs trying to put 
> new nuts on.
I had repeated problems with this joint loosening on mine, resulting in the
gasket getting blown apart.  I became very efficient at stripping all of
that apart.  After several times of this, I chased the threads with a tap,
and used all new studs and nuts.  Never a problem since.  When those studs
get brittle from the heat, they no longer stretch like they need to in order
to keep the joint tight.
As for a substitute for the converter...IIRC the very early Zenith cars only
had cats in California, so in theory there should be a pipe section or a
different downpipe available.  Getting one is the next question.
Of course, there's always the 'modification' to the converter involving a
hammer and a piece of rebar.....
My '79 was that way when I got it, and I've never had any problem passing my
emissions test....with the air pump still injecting into the head.  With the
air pump off, it was always a fight.
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