I have a spare manifold, from the '73 engine I'm about to install. The '73 has the EGR manifold, no air injectors, no thermal reactor. The '76 has air injectors, no thermal reactor and ?!no EGR?! (it's blocked off and looks like it was that way from the factory).

To have air injection, your car would have to have been fitted with an air pump (would have been belt driven located on the battery side of the engine below the alternator). 49-state '76's did not have an airpump, but instead had an EGR port on the exhaust manifold that fed exhaust gases into the air filter housing.

I'm not the expert on this, as I have only heard of it being done. That said, if you have a true air injection manifold, toss it (better yet, save it just in case regulations change) and then get the tii manifold or headers. If it is the 49-state manifold then you can look at getting these fittings plugged.

HTH

When I took the '76 manifold off my 49 state '76 head, I found air tubes running right up to the exhaust valve - obviously they were injecting the air to the hottest place they could to assure extra burning. Can these injectors be removed and is there any point to doing so?

The '76 manifold is probably the second best manifold in comparison to the tii manifold. I don't know if you would see enough benefit from a tii manifold to justify the trouble and expense to swap it out.

I have heard of people plugging the emissions ports on '76 manifolds and using them on earlier cars, as a cheap substitute for a tii manifold.

BTW, where are you located?

I'm new to the 2002. I see posts on people looking for the Tii exhaust manifold. Is there an advantage to using this manifold over the stock one in my '76? If so....anyone have one for sale or trade? I have a complete '76 parts car if anyone would like to trade. Thanks!