Running a cats without a smog pump is not a good plan. The cats use the excess air to oxidize the remaining hydrocarbons. Depending on how much oil the engine burns, it may cause them them to carbon up and clog over time.
You just need to plug the vacuum lines going to the air valves on the pump tubing, plug the pipe that goes into your cats, and plug the pipe that goes into the back of the heads. Do you have to pass emissions because you might not pass the visual with no visible pump in the engine bay. It depends how strict your state's laws are.
I heard the same thing that jrichker said. I also understand that by sending the air to the cats to help them do their job, it also keeps them from burning themselves up by cooling them slightly - but if that were the case, wouldn't there be air pump lines in front of EACH cat - instead of just on the right side??
There are cats that don't use air lines and there are ones that do. The ones that do are better at cleaning up the exhaust. Some cars don't have air lines going to the stock cats at all.
I heard the same thing that jrichker said. I also understand that by sending the air to the cats to help them do their job, it also keeps them from burning themselves up by cooling them slightly - but if that were the case, wouldn't there be air pump lines in front of EACH cat - instead of just on the right side??
If the car no longer has cats the smog pump is only along for the ride.
What I don't get is, if you have to keep cats on your car why do you want to take off the smog pump? It doesn't use hardly any power, and if you have to smog the car wouldn't you want your emissions system to be working?