5.3L into a 85 El Camino. Can I make Ca Emissions

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

From what I understand, an El Camino is considered a light truck, NOT a car (Just like an AMC Eagle 4x4, which has the same chassis as a Concord or Spirit is a truck and not a car). Also, it is legal to swap a later model drivetrain into an older car, but not an older drivetrain into a newer car. However, it must retain ALL of the emissions control systems of the donor vehicle.

 

[86Cutlass383SR]

From what I understand, an El Camino is considered a light truck, NOT a car...

I keep forgetting about that.

 

[joe_padavano]

From what I understand, an El Camino is considered a light truck, NOT a car (Just like an AMC Eagle 4x4, which has the same chassis as a Concord or Spirit is a truck and not a car). Also, it is legal to swap a later model drivetrain into an older car, but not an older drivetrain into a newer car. However, it must retain ALL of the emissions control systems of the donor vehicle.

I would double check this. The Elco has a car-based VIN, not a truck VIN. It also has all the car emissions controls. Trucks required less stringent controls that year, so I doubt the Elco was considered a light truck.

As for swaps, you are correct. In Calif. you are allowed to swap a newer (and thus cleaner) engine into an older car, so long as you retain ALL of the emissions equipment that goes with the newer engine. There is one caveat, however. You can only swap engines in the same class. Car engines into cars, light truck engines into light trucks, and heavy truck engines into heavy trucks. This is because trucks have less stringent emissions requirements than cars (see above) and thus would potentially be "dirtier" engines than the car engine. An LS engine from a Caprice, for example, would be completely legal, but from a truck would not. The 638 HP LS9 motor from the new Corvette is a legal swap into your 85, but the 8.1 liter big block from a truck is not.

 

[dan2286]

Maybe try trading your truck 5.3 with a 5.3 that came out of a newer Monte or Grand Prix.

 

[Doober]

If the VIN is burned into the computer, I don't see why you couldn't get a car-based computer and have it tuned to spec. Other than that there shouldn't be a way (unless the full VIN is stamped on the block somewhere) they can tell what the engine came from. I hate emissions crap myself, and have my own hurdles to overcome in Arizona, unless I move out of the Tucson area.

 

[jj62]

Supposely thats what the guy that did the wirning harness and sold me the
external parts did. He said it would show that it's a 2004 LS1.
But I don't know how I would find how before going to the
ref?. If I go overthere and tell them one thing and they find out it's
something else, I am sure they will fail me.

If you look at the engine externally it looks like a LS1.
The intake, exhaust manifolds,02's and cats along with
the p/s, a/c, waterpump and pulley are all 2004 LS1,
GTO.

The dude that did the wiring and sold me the parts (Oscar Juarez "Hotrod Controls")
turned out to be an unreliable fake and I can't find him.
So I am between a rock and hard place. I'd like to finish it up
and make it streetable and my DD.

 

[pontiacgp]

can't you take it to a shop for a pre-inspection?

 

[jj62]

can't you take it to a shop for a pre-inspection?

I don't know. Would have to be a smog shop or any place
that had a code reader?

 

[jj62]

Maybe try trading your truck 5.3 with a 5.3 that came out of a newer Monte or Grand Prix.

Joe,

I don't think the vin is based on a car for a couple of reason. one they require commerical
plates in calif and the other according to vin decoding the first C in the vin code number
stands for Chevrolet Truck.
I could be wrong just going by what I have read. Trying to get all my ducks in a row.

 

[megaladon6]

The Elco has a car-based VIN, not a truck VIN

but cali is making him use commercial plates--therefore they consider it a truck