i know it will give me next to nothing in power, and maybe a tiny bit of better throttle response, but I want to take my air pump belt off. would there be any ill effects in just taking some big cutters and chopping the belt off? is the air pump necessary for keeping my car running reliably smooth? thanks!

 

If you still have the rest of the stock exhaust, then yes you do need them.

Your Cats could clog.

If you have headers, etc, - then toss it.