ok i have an 82 firebird TA and i knwo the timing is off cause it backfires alot and dies out and the auto choke is hooked up and working. the question is i live in california and it has to pass smog in order fo rme to get my tags and i failed every smog check but the catalytic converter, now if the timing was set properly would that solve alot of the smog issues as far as teh EGR is concerned? i have a chilton book but it doesnt cover alot of specifics on this model firebird. the oteh rthings is when i got the car the vacuum lines on teh carb werent there so i bought some hoses and now i need to figure out where they hook up to i want to make sure i hook them up properly and the vacuum diagrams in teh book dont even look like my car. the one thing i still prolly need to get is teh right air cleaner as im usign a edlebrock air cleaning unit and it doesnt have everything that the OEM cleaner has. bear with em i am new to muscle cars and older cars fo rthat matter the last car i worked on was a 98 cavalier 4 cyl. and did only that car for 4 years. righ tnow my main concern is passign the smog test by november 1st so i can get my tags and continue getting to work, in teh future i would like to modify it and turn it into a hobbystock. it has 208k miles on it and still purrs only engine problems are the valve cover gaskets need to be replaced, and i have a hole in the top of the radiator. im here on this board looking for DIY info as i dont make alot of money and want to learn how to do this all myself. for the timing i have a timing gun i just need to figure out where to aim that and then im pretty sure i can adjust the timing from teh distributer right? and on this TA its a 5.0 now is that with a timing gear or a chain? any info is appreciated thanks.
Josh

 

don't think you'll pass e check with the aftermarket air cleaner. it'd be a good idea to hook up vacuum lines that may be laying around the engine, setting timing wouldn't hurt either as well as making sure the basic tune up is good

 

ok i nkow i need to hook up teh vacuum lines but dont know what line goes where and i cant figure i tout in the chilton book i have is there a place with a picture of how it should be hooked up. i wish teh previous owners would have not modified all this junk. and im already ordering a stock air cleaner as of 5 minutes ago thanks.

 

there should be an underhood decal with the vacuum lines on it. you can look in manuals or in pics people have of their car, or even look at similar car engine pics