California smog laws

[DoubleV]

hey double V how is your olds 350 swap legal? |

It's not. I have historical plates on my car though. That means I don't need to ever buy plates/stickers again for it and I don't need any smog tests. It's still illegal for anyone to ditch any of the emissions crap ( or to swap to a later year engine ), but there's no Gestapo around to say anything so everyone does it. I suspect this is pretty much the case with most hotrodders in 'emissions free' areas.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

Here in Cali, where a lot of guys fail the smog, is the visual part of the test. You can be pumping out unicorns and rainbows out of the tail pipe, clean *ss exhaust, and still fail because you have “modified” the emission part of your vehicle. I know guys in the Honda scene who can pass the sniffer, but just because they have a swapped engine, fail! With the G Body guys, removing the CCC would be a auto fail. Removing your EGR, fail. Also the PCV system. Not having the correct cat could be a fail too. It is tough trying to do mods to your vehicle. I tend to only do things I can go later and put stock stuff back on, so only bolt on for me. Hence, cat back exhaust are a common now a days. To find CARB legal stuff, it isn’t easy and you will pay the price for the items too. CARB legal stuff isn't’ cheap at all, you are paying for the R&D and that little stupid sticker that exempts it.

Well yes, every state is supposed to enforce a two step emission inpection, the tailpipe and visual test. Back in the late 70s though the early 90s most states did both. These days many states just plug into the OBD2 port and check, and no longer have the testers for older pre OBD2 cars. Many states have laxed off inspections to save money, even NJ no longer inspects cars for safety. However by skipping on emission inspections, these states lose Fed funding to fix and improve roads. I know the roads in SoCal are in alot better shape than the local NJ/PA roads, but this may also be due to winter salt which is much worse than emission laws. As for Hondas, I think Honda sell high performence crate engines in Japan that are not approved for the US, swapping one of these it would cause a fail, just like if you swapped in a Mexician SBC that wasn't approved for the US (but most are approved). It used to be alot easier to get legal parts, but aftermarket support for G bodies has been dropping like flies. The only area in G bodies that seems to be improving are LSX swaps since they can nickel and dime you for all the adapters. CCC improves MPGs without hurting power, EGR helps to prevent spark knock, PCV keeps the crankcase cleaner and was invented for tanks in WW2 because it is much better than a open breather. THERMAC was the motor up faster, EVAP keeps the gas tank and fuel cleaner. Alot of cheap aftermarket cats don't have enough metals in them to work as well as OEM, which is why CA banned those. I was able to buy a used ZZ4 intake for $20 used, and used TES headers for $150, so you can still get the stuff pretty cheap if you don't mind used. Hotrodding is not the cheapest hobby anyway, but it's really not hard to hotrod the legal way. It's mostly people too lazy to learn how their car works who whine about "emissions crap" as they call it. If you don't like low emissions, they get into older cars that predate it. I still don't get why people want to downgrade their cars to 1970s era tech. 1980s was when performance started to make a come back, as slow and in small steps as it was.

 

[DoubleV]

Yeah, if one had a Chevy engine and one was content hopping up a 305, you can do 'OK' but this is not what most people are faced with and/or want to do. What's a guy with an 83-87 Hurst Olds/442 supposed to do if they want to go fast in their cars and be legal? Hopping up a 307 is a very poor option and in the end it still wouldn't get you the performance a 'downgraded' 70's tech bigger Olds motor would. Any engine can be hotrodded for more power legally, but there's a limit on how far you can go and most want to go far beyond that limit. I couldn't even imagine one trying to legally hop up a carbed 3.8 in their G-Body :shock: .

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

Yeah, if one had a Chevy engine and one was content hopping up a 305, you can do 'OK' but this is not what most people are faced with and/or want to do. What's a guy with an 83-87 Hurst Olds/442 supposed to do if they want to go fast in their cars and be legal? Hopping up a 307 is a very poor option and in the end it still wouldn't get you the performance a 'downgraded' 70's tech bigger Olds motor would. Any engine can be hotrodded for more power legally, but there's a limit on how far you can go and most want to go far beyond that limit. I couldn't even imagine one trying to legally hop up a carbed 3.8 in their G-Body :shock: .

Olds guys could swap in a same year or newer SBCs with full emissions, or a Buick turbo 6 with full emissions, or a full legal LS swap, either getting a donor car for the complete emission systems or buy the LS3 E-Rod crate. MC guys can still legally install 350s like a L98, even vortec headed 350s as long as it is the same year or newer. You can install whatever engine you want as long as it is the same year or newer than your car, and either retains the car's emission system or the motor's emission system which ever is newer. Such complete swaps aren't cheap and require alot of researching, but that is what happens when you work with more modern cars. The law doesn't stop one from swapping in a better motor, just from swapping in a older motor. The more modern a car is the more complex and the less freedom you have, it sucks but that is what you have to do. If you look at my sig, my Regal was a plain Jane 3.8 n/a V6. Swapped it out for a complete MCSS powertrain I got for $250, motor, trans, and everything to make it legal. Installed a better emission legal cam, used TES headers, used ZZ4 intake, higher stall TC to match the cam, roller timing chain, Qjet sulped up by SMI out in CA, and it pumps out 250 HP while still getting 21 MPGs with a 3.73 posi rear. While the strict laws do make it harder to hotrod your car, it doesn't prevent you to do so like many try to pretend. Alot of stock 1970s 350s made alot less power than 80s 305s, with less MPGs too. The 70s motors could be rebuilt to much better specs but it seems many swappers don't bother with that. That is besides 1970s and older blocks tend to have poorer machine work from the factory. Ever wonder why older blocks use thick HGs while the 80s and newer blocks used thin HGs? 80s and newer blocks also tend to have better iron for longer lives. My L69 had 100K on it and still had factory cross hatching with no ridge, and despite being a greeseball was still clean on the inside. Most 70s era 350s would be in need of rebuilding already by 100K. I have read the best factory SBC is the 880 vortec 350, best iron, best machine work, and the fuel pump rod hole is most of the way driled. A great legal swap into any 80s G body.

 

[DoubleV]

My point was how are people getting around the CA smog laws without having to resort to modding their cars 'legally'? Doing legal only engine swaps can be very distastefull to some ( like having to put a Chubby engine in a Hurst Olds ), overly complex, or too expensive. Yeah LS engines are great, but you don't just drop one in for pennies and everythings great, where as dropping in an Olds 350/403 in place of your 307 is a hell of alot easier ( and depending on the variables ) alot cheaper too and I would think there are plenty of Californians doing just that.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

My point was how are people getting around the CA smog laws without having to resort to modding their cars 'legally'? Doing legal only engine swaps can be very distastefull to some ( like having to put a Chubby engine in a Hurst Olds ), overly complex, or too expensive. Yeah LS engines are great, but you don't just drop one in for pennies and everythings great, where as dropping in an Olds 350/403 in place of your 307 is a hell of alot easier ( and depending on the variables ) alot cheaper too and I would think there are plenty of Californians doing just that.

From what I understand, it is mostly the city areas with strict enforcement, supposedly the rural areas are more lax. The level of enforcement not only varies from state to state, but also with different areas within a state. At least their smog laws are more fair than their gun laws. If CA's smog laws were like their gun laws, V8s would be banned and there probably be limits on displacement and HP.

 

[Gbody]

Found some interesting info http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/d ... device.php

 

[CWPottenger]

For most of us Smog rules are at or soon will be null and void. Most states have the 30 year rolling window exemption in the law. California had this for a few years and then stupidly went back to a fixed year which is currently 1975. Many Californians are trying to get the 30yr window reinstated...

Basically if your car is 30 years old or older exempt from smog. Reasoning is that a 30plus year old car will not be a DD and limited in quantity on the road.

 

[Gbody]

1990 would be a nice fixed year, every car was fuel injected by that year

 

[ed209]

D@mn now I love Wisconsin none of that bs any motor any mods are a go and no inspection just a title to show the DMV and your good