So H Steven Dolan says:
> Sami, when I got my '78 the can was completely rusted out.  Failed
> emission inspection.  After pricing a new one ($150), went junk-yarding
> and found one.  In the interveneing 2 years, the replacement followed its
> predecessor to rust heaven. Before going for inspection, I removed the
> filter, cut off the flanges, and reattached the flanges sandwiching a
> sheet of copper between the flange and the throttle body and likewise at
> the exhaust.  The inspector noticed nothing and it remains so to this day. 

On my '74 camper I went through a similar experience of pricing smog parts
at the dealer, including the EGR filter box.  After picking myself up off 
of the dealers parts floor from fainting at the prices, I went to the 
wrecking yard and yanked several smog related parts from a '74ish beast 
including the EGR filter box.  It was a bitch and a bit hairy laying 
under the thing trying to be careful to not make any jarring moves to
the vehicle sitting on stacked wheels! :[  It was a greasey bear but
I finally worked it out.  

When I got home and removed the cut and pinched pieces of pipes on
mine, I found a penny encased between the junction connection of
the pipe to the manifold and the piece left over from the filter
side.  After all the fiddling with getting the filter from the 
junk yard, I ended up not using it at all and left mine as is.
Passed smog with comments from the 'inspector' on how rare it is
to see a bus like mine with all of the smog components still
intact.  I doubt if he new what the configuration was suppose
to be and just saw the smog pump and extra tubing and figured
it was good enough for him.

Steven

sjohnson@pcocd2.intel.com