New to Buick what car has the 350?

[Bonnewagon]

illegal to install an engine that is older than your car.

Depends on the state. CA is super-strict and you can only do it if the new engine runs as clean as or better than the car model year. In NY after 25 years you are emissions exempt and you can do whatever you want. My 1983 Bonnewagon has a 1979 301 and all emissions stuff is gone. No problemo.

 

[ck80]

Be aware that it is illegsl to install an engine that is older than your car. Only engines the same year or newer are legal to install. The only legal V8 choices tor an 80's G body are Olds 307, SBC, LT, or LS.

We've been down this road before.

Unfortunately, the act you cite came into being after the vast majority of gbodies were built, and, thus the government would need to prove beyond a doubt that any older swap was NOT performed before said act. That's a burden they will never meet.

Swap whatever you want.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

Depends on the state. CA is super-strict and you can only do it if the new engine runs as clean as or better than the car model year. In NY after 25 years you are emissions exempt and you can do whatever you want. My 1983 Bonnewagon has a 1979 301 and all emissions stuff is gone. No problemo.

Its Federal law that you can't swap an older engine into a car, its above the state level. The Federal 49 state laws pretty much just copy cat Cali's laws. States can't exempt you from obeying Federal laws, they just can choose not to enforce them but that won't stop the Feds from enforcing it on you. States can only just exempt old cars from inspections, for now, they cannot exempt anyone from obeying Federal emission laws and never will. Its just a don't ask, don't tell situation. In short, you can only be inspections exempt, you can never truly be emission exempt unless you are turning your car into a full time track car that will never see the streets again.

 

[DRIVEN]

I'm putting a flathead in my Vibe. Cite all the "laws" you want. Feds ain't gonna do sh*t.

 

[pagrunt]

Question is now what do you do when those who should be enforcing those older engine/newer chassis laws violate those rules themselves?

Back in the dark ages or the late '80's/early '90's either Hot Rod or Car Craft published an article on state by state engine swap/emission rules. There were a good bit that required swaps that had to meet the newer year of the two betwen the engine & chassis, year of chassis regardless of engine, or just year of engine.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

We've been down this road before.

Unfortunately, the act you cite came into being after the vast majority of gbodies were built, and, thus the government would need to prove beyond a doubt that any older swap was NOT performed before said act. That's a burden they will never meet.

Swap whatever you want.

Posting about your plans to swap an older engine on a public forum sure helps their case. Point is why willing skate out on the thin ice of legality when their are much easier and safer alternatives?

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

Question is now what do you do when those who should be enforcing those older engine/newer chassis laws violate those rules themselves?

Back in the dark ages or the late '80's/early '90's either Hot Rod or Car Craft published an article on state by state engine swap/emission rules. There were a good bit that required swaps that had to meet the newer year of the two betwen the engine & chassis, year of chassis regardless of engine, or just year of engine.

The swap rule is the engine must be newer than the chassis and you must use the complete emission package of the engine or chassis, whichever is newer. For example, swap a 2015 engine into a 1980's car, that car now must meet 2015 emission standards. The idea is to prevent people from swapping in older, pre emission powertrains into newer chassis as a work around emission laws. Basically every low emission engine is a government certified package and you are not allowed to tamper with it and only same year or newer packages are legal to install into any given chassis.
https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/engswitch_0.pdf

Saying that, I ain't nobodies pappy, go ahead and put yer foot in that there beartrap all you want.

 

[DRIVEN]

Wanna watch me tear the tag off this mattress?

 

[ck80]

Posting about your plans to swap an older engine on a public forum sure helps their case. Point is why willing skate out on the thin ice of legality when their are much easier and safer alternatives?

Only if you post the vin of the car you want to swap, so on so forth. You just need a reasonable doubt, not even a preponderance of evidence standard.

So if you say no, it was for a car I ended up not buying after all, or, any of 300 ther arguments... meh.

If they decide they want to take the cars off the road there's far easier and less litigious ways such as making massive carbon taxes based on miles driven and linked to annual odometer certifications with seals on the odometer cables at both ends as a registration requirement.

 

[pagrunt]

The swap rule is the engine must be newer than the chassis and you must use the complete emission package of the engine or chassis, whichever is newer. For example, swap a 2015 engine into a 1980's car, that car now must meet 2015 emission standards. The idea is to prevent people from swapping in older, pre emission powertrains into newer chassis as a work around emission laws.

The reality is it happens & with the exceptions of a few states it's not really being put up front by any enforcing agencies. Now the EPA has smacked the wee wee of the likes of Pypes for the 2.5" kits for cars like ours cause at first they didn't make anyone buy cats but are now OK since they have to sell them with cats. They are starting to hit the diesel aftermarket too. But to roll into almost any legal inspection station over here in Pa it's just in testing counties to make sure the required cars & trucks can pass the emmisions test & non testing counties has the visual but not function test. By default most parts for older cars like ours are not around anymore or cost enough to beat the repair cost threshold. You can only push it so far before it's a waste of the enforcers time & resources. The add the new swap of say a Tesla drivetrain into a G in a test area like Philly. It can't have a legal emissions test done cause there is no ICE to test so wouldn't that be illegal to do too? Sometimes it's better in things like this not to get worked up on what others wish to do being legal or not in our hobby. I'd rather see a safety inspection be pushed more than a emissions cause the safety of those on the road is more important that how the clean or dirty the exhaust is. My car may not match the standards for a '81 229 but it will be more than safe enough to take my family on a trip to a show or ice cream.