Does anyone in Texas, Austin specifilcally, know if a cat converter is required on a '71 240Z for it to pass inspection? I'm looking at buying one that failed inspection because it is missing the cat converter.

a CAT converter is NOT required on a 71. It did not come on it when it came out from factory.

I thought 84 and under were cat exemept in texas.

I know my 73 passed without one, but that was in my area of south texas.

I know for sure it came without one from the factory.

Where is this info documented so that I can show this when it goes back for it's inspection?

It is probably someplace on the DOT website

http://www.dot.state.tx.us/txdot.htm

Nothing on TxDOT about inspections, this info is on the DPS site. However, I did not see anything that made reference to this.

What I was really asking is where is it documented that the '71 240Z was not manufactured with a cat converter. This way when the car is taken back to the inspection station this can be shown to them so the car will pass. I'm expecting to have to prove it since they already failed the car once partly for this reason.

The other reasons it failed was that the license plate light was not working (probably a burned out bulb) and the hi/low beam indicator was not working either. These are the only three things they marked against it.

Perhaps you could just take a Haynes manual or something similar with you. I don't have one handy at the moment but since those manuals cover several model years any reference to a Catalytic converter will say something like "1975 and greater".

Haynes or similar manual should do the trick, but for the absolute truth they might want to see a genuine Factory Manual.

The only bad thing about that is the fact that if you have removed any of the other smog equipment they might require you to replace it...

FWIW, as fas as I know, no Z's came from the factory with cat's until the ZX's debuted in 79.

Only a pre-muffler or resonator was used prior to that on all the Z's.

I just got home and have put your advice to work. I pulled out my Chilton's book and sure enough it states that

"All 1975 and later (California) models, some 1979 (49 States) models and all 1980 and later models, are equipped with a catalytic converter, which is a muffler-shaped device installed in the exhaust system."

I will make sure that this book goes back with the car when taken back for a re-inspection.

THANK YOU!!!! :classic:

Oops, guess I should have said 49 state models... I keep forgetting about that "other" one....:devious: :cross-eye

my 78 has a cat on it (damn CA model)

I have been toying with the idea of taking it off when I replace my exhaust system this summer.

my Z is registered in TX, so I fall under the TX rolling 25 year smog exemption. even nicer, because I am military, and the car isn't physically located or operated in Texas, I don't even have to get it smogged at all for license plate renewal !

Notice your car does not have the slim "unleaded only" plug in the fuel filler ,it has no cat.conv.With the Z filler being that large is proof as it is obvious it wasn't torn out.Also your gauge doesn't read"unleaded only"