Yep, it's against the law to remove anything as far as emission equipment goes. They can tell by the VIN if the truck was sold originally in CA or a state that falls under Federal Standards. If CA, then that smog pump needs to be there as well as the tubes going to the exhaust manifolds.I hate to throw water on the party but note that the OP is in Bakersfield which I believe is in California. Don't they have a requirement that all pollution control equipment, however useless, be on the vehicle at inspection?
Here's the driver's side A.I.R. tube and check valve (red arrow). Note: these headers have a CARB (California Air Resources Board) EO (Executive Order), so they're legal pretty much in any state.
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Here's the passenger side. Makes it fun getting to header bolts and spark plugs.
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