K19 Air Injection Reactor

[Ken K.]

I know what the answer to my question will be, but I'm going to ask it anyway. I have a '66 coupe that has the original 327/350hp engine with the "HD" code for the K19 option A.I.R. Like most of these K19 cars, the (K19) smog items are long gone. Removed by someone years ago. My question is, should I make an effort to find and replace these items? Is the car worth more if the proper K19 items are installed? (Just a driver not a NCRS type of car.) Will this make a big performance difference if I do add the smog pump to the car? Any suggestion would be helpful. Oh, how hard will it be to find these item. (pump, tubes, valves, manifolds)
Thanks

[Joe L.]

Re: K19 Air Injection Reactor

Ken-----

As always, the more original the car, the more it would be worth. So, from that point of view, you're better off to try to make it as original as possible. This will apply whether the car is a driver or otherwise. If and when you sell it, the more original it is, the more it's likely to be worth.

If you add the K-19 to the car, all other things being equal, you should notice no performance difference one way or the other. Some folks think that the K-19 reduces performance significantly. In fact, that's why so many of these set-ups were removed. The people that think that the K-19 reduces engine performance significantly, or even discernably, are mistaken.

Finding all the parts you need to restore the system, especially if you want a 100% correct restoration, will not be easy.

The pumps are not too hard to find, although the 66-67 Corvette pumps were unique to the Corvette application.

Reproductions of the manifold tubes ("trees") are available and they are quite good. However, the 66-only right side tube is not reproduced as far as I know. The 67+ tube will fit ok, though, and it is reproduced.

Original-style check valves are available used or restored---about 50 bucks each.

Reproduction hoses are not available as far as I know. However, the hoses can be made up from bulk AIR tubing (if you can find it). Otherwise, most of the hoses can be adapted from the reproductions that Dr. Rebuild has available for later years.

The exhaust manifolds are not too hard to find. I don't think that they're currently reproduced, but used examples are out there. They were also used for many other 66-71 applications, especially some passenger car and truck (not Chevelle, Camaro, or Chevy II, though).

The 66-67 cast pump bracket is difficult to find. It's Corvette only and only used for these 2 years. The 68-79 bracket will work perfectly, though, and looks almost the same (except for a few features and casting number). These are pretty easy to find---for sale all the time on eBay.

The "mixture control valve" (an early term for a valve ROUGHLY comparable to what were later called diverter valves is VERY difficult to find and VERY expensive when you do.

The correct carburetor, necessary for use if the K-19 system is restored to the car, is VERY difficult to find if you don't already have it. It's VERY expensive if you do find it.

Now, the "bottom line" question is will the car be worth as much more with a correct K-19 system installed as the cost of obtaining everything you need. I suspect NOT.

[Mike M.]

Re: K19 Air Injection Reactor

joe: i believe the big block smog pump brackets are cast iron but i believe the small block smog pump brackets are stamped steel. mike

[Joe L.]

Re: K19 Air Injection Reactor

Mike-----

I think that it's pretty much, "the-other-way-around".

All small block brackets from 1966 through, at least, 1979 were cast iron. There were 3 different iterations of this bracket, but all are very similar and interchangeable. The 80-81 bracket was different. It may have been cast aluminum. I don't know of a stamped steel bracket that was ever used for a CORVETTE small block.

The 1966-67 Corvette big block bracket was cast iron. However, the 68-74 CORVETTE big block bracket was stamped steel. Actually, I believe that this stamped steel bracket was also used on late 1967 big blocks, too. I don't know when (or, for sure, IF) this occurred, but I believe so based upon some original 1967 K-19 big blocks I've seen. The cast iron bracket is "expansive" in size. The stamped steel bracket is quite "compact". However, for the most part, the brackets are functionally interchangeable.