Tinware writing, Was this on all cars…?? Options

[Clubsport32]

Hi All

Have seen this on an unrestored car…does anybody have anymore details…? I assume the 022 refers to the 1.7L but what about the other number?

Any insight would be appreciated…thanks

Andy

[wonkipop]

@StarBear & @JeffBowlsby .

i have managed to find some stuff about the implementation of the clean air act in the USA that indicate the original plan to have the US car fleet fitted with cats by 1975 had to be delayed slightly.

There was a problem getting enough cats made and into the supply chain early.

i'll keep digging as i get bits of spare time.

The plan was drawn up by the US Government in 1970, EPA was founded etc.
California was granted the special dispensation that it still has to this day, originally to set their own standards, but in reality to simply introduce standards proposed by the EPA a year earlier. The EPA figured this was a practical way to do things, phasing in technology for 50 states over 2 years instead of 1.

Cat original timetable were proposed for all 50 states by 1975. Which meant California would have had cats in 1974. But it got shifted. So 74 is a kind of stand still year in some ways though california went ahead and lowered NOx emission levels. A by product of lowered NOx levels was an increase in C0 levels. Cats would have lowered the C0 and turned it into C02 and HC into C02 and H20. They took the C0 hit from no cats for one year in order to drop the NOx which was a major ingredient of smog.

Thats why the 73 California 1.7s have unleaded engines. They are getting ready to take the cats the next year in 74. The unleaded part of the timetable stayed on track.

In 74 all the engines in 50 states go unleaded capable for all cars.

A second reason for unleaded which i never realised is that the lower compression ratios of unleaded engines also lowered NOx emissions as they ran at lower combustion temps.

so i think something goes on with 74 1.8s where they get them ready to be a cat equiped 1.8 and a non cat 1.8 but it never happens in reality until 75. but the evidence gets left behind.

in the end its all in how the throttle body hoses get hooked up to the distributor.
the TBs have both ports (or have the capacity to have both ports) they are just used differently from cat cars to non cat cars in 75.

there is a bit of evidence on this website from threads 10 or more years ago about the different ways the TBs on 74 1.8s were hooked up to the vacuum advance/retard distributors - it seems in a variety of ways. i think that is what the different throttle bodies are about. whether or not a port was capped or non capped and whether it was hooked up or not hooked up.

the port operating off manifold vacuum and connected to the retard port on the distributor would achieve the low NOx at idle level (via retarded timing at idle) if the state required it (california?).

the other port operating off vacuum at part throttle and connected to the advance port on the distributor is a fairly standard form of vacuum advance for fuel efficiency and economy. likely to have remained hooked up on all cars for all 50 states?

i think early on with the 1.8s they might have been playing around with it as variables.
but by the time you get to something like my car or starbears they just hook them all up and make it basically a 50 state car (and from then on only offer a 50 state car?).

still does not quite explain the A or B sticker. but the interesting thing about the A or B sticker is both cars are 50 state compliant - and from what i can tell in the photos the A car (blue car on mr. b website) is the same as our B cars. I can see the distributor hookup, its the same, and i can see the engine bay charcoal can, its the same.

a further possibility for the A or B on the sticker is that it refers to a engine group test batch standard. the cars were certified by agreed to tests of vehicles taken off the production line at specified intervals conducted by the manufacturer and submitted to the EPA and or CARB. These were the full tests that measured HC, CO and NOx concentrations (as distinct from simpler annual exhaust checks required of owners).
Its possible that EC-A and EC-B might mean that vw/porsche did two separate such tests for the EC engine, both of which in the end conform to all 50 states, but have different paperwork. the sticker indicates which test a particular engine fitted in the car conforms to. The difference may be because there is minor variation/or even just a second test of the same variation?

I say this because apparently that is what the engine group code on the sticker really means. it means the manufacturers engine group, but a little more - the manufacturers engine group test for EPA and CARB certification purposes.

For there to be a california 1,8 and a non california 1.8 there has to be somewhere an emission sticker that says EPA approved only? its going to be something other than EC-A or EC-B (they both say california + EPA).

It could be for instance EC? a sticker photo drive amongst members with 1.8s might find what is there.