what sbc 350 will pass california smog in my 81 monte carlo

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elementoleflows

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Sep 18, 2006
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i have an 81 monte carlo i want to move up to a small block 350. i think my car is fuel injected but im not to sure. i want to have the small block but not have to hassle with not passing smog.

what motor should i use can some one help me?
 

joe_padavano

Royal Smart Person
Sep 13, 2006
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Re: what sbc 350 will pass california smog in my 81 monte ca

elementoleflows said:
i have an 81 monte carlo i want to move up to a small block 350. i think my car is fuel injected but im not to sure. i want to have the small block but not have to hassle with not passing smog.

what motor should i use can some one help me?

The rule of thumb in Califorinia is that you can swap newer (and thus cleaner) but not older. Any late model LT1 or LS1 motor will be legal, assuming you swap all the smog equipment that goes with the engine. You will need to go to a referee station and have the station certify the swap. Note also that it needs to be an engine from the same emissions class - in other words you can swap in a car engine but not a truck engine, since trucks are required to meet different emissions standards.
 

Chevyman85

G-Body Guru
Oct 25, 2006
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Bonney Lake, WA
Wow, I had not idea how Communist Cali is on emissions! That outragous! And I thought we had it bad up here in WA. Atleast here is like the military "dont ask dont tell" if you pass on the first try no one looks under the hood, or asks questions. But if you dont your screwed!
 

joe_padavano

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Sep 13, 2006
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That's actually a federal law - you aren't allowed to make your car dirtier, only cleaner. Calif at least has a process in place that allows you to do swaps and get them certified. Most states aren't that sophisticated and it's hit or miss, depending on how savvy your local inspection station is.

The reason an underhood inspection is required is that the tailpipe test is only a spot check at one or two engine speeds. It is a far cry from the lengthy and expensive tests that must be performed to verify that all the systems are functioning (evaporative emissions, for example, are not tested at the tailpipe).

I'll be the heretic here - my kid is going to have to breathe this air in 50 years. If Chevy can get 500 smog-legal horsepower out of a pushrod small block, what's the problem?
 

Chevyman85

G-Body Guru
Oct 25, 2006
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Bonney Lake, WA
joe_padavano said:
I'll be the heretic here - my kid is going to have to breathe this air in 50 years. If Chevy can get 500 smog-legal horsepower out of a pushrod small block, what's the problem?
Well I'm not out trying to screw the environment I just feel that a vehicles emissions have nothing to do with how efficent it is. My tired 350 I had before would sail through emissions with tons of blow by, it only got about 10 MPG. Now I have double the horsepower and I get better mileage. I'm just not a big fan of emissions, especially with all the other exemptions such as Diesels.

Oh, and Chevy is getting 500 HP out of a pushrod BBC 427 in the Vette, I apologize if I misunderstood that, but your right it is possible to make serious power with emissions, its just easier w/ out :wink:
 

joe_padavano

Royal Smart Person
Sep 13, 2006
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Northern VA
Chevyman85 said:
joe_padavano said:
I'll be the heretic here - my kid is going to have to breathe this air in 50 years. If Chevy can get 500 smog-legal horsepower out of a pushrod small block, what's the problem?
Well I'm not out trying to screw the environment I just feel that a vehicles emissions have nothing to do with how efficent it is.

My tired 350 I had before would sail through emissions with tons of blow by, it only got about 10 MPG. Now I have double the horsepower and I get better mileage. I'm just not a big fan of emissions, especially with all the other exemptions such as Diesels.

At the risk of getting off topic here, there are two different measurements of emissions, parts per million and total pounds of pollutant. Most tailpipe tests simply measure PPM at one, or sometimes two engine speeds. As you've found, it's not real hard to tweak an engine to pass. Unfortunately, this is just a spot check and not a measurement of all operating conditions. More importantly, a tailpipe spot check doesn't measure the total pounds of pollution emitted per year - which I'd argue is the more important measurement. Unfortunately, it's also the one that can't be measured practically.

Obviously, lower BSFC almost always means lower emissions (except for NOX, but that's a different case anyway). On the other hand, if you're moving more air and making more horsepower, you're possibly putting more total pounds of pollutants in the air for the same number of miles. Of course, taking this argument the other way, a modified car that is only driven 1-2,000 miles a year puts out far less total pollutants than the newest economy car driven normally. Unfortunately that's a concept the lawmakers can't and won't understand. By the way, we're in violent agreement on the exemptions. Unfortunately, hot rodders don't have a lobby with the same clout as the trucking companies.

Oh, and Chevy is getting 500 HP out of a pushrod BBC 427 in the Vette, I apologize if I misunderstood that, but your right it is possible to make serious power with emissions, its just easier w/ out :wink:

Last time I checked, the LS-series motors were considered small blocks, despite the 7.0 liter displacement in the Z06.
 

elementoleflows

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Sep 18, 2006
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iroc and z-28 sbc 305 motor?

what do you guys think of the iroc and z-28 motors out of the late 80's to mid 90's there only 305 but i have been told you can get some good power out of them. wouold that pass cali's smog? and how hard of a swap would it be?
 

joe_padavano

Royal Smart Person
Sep 13, 2006
1,151
13
0
Northern VA
Re: iroc and z-28 sbc 305 motor?

elementoleflows said:
what do you guys think of the iroc and z-28 motors out of the late 80's to mid 90's there only 305 but i have been told you can get some good power out of them. wouold that pass cali's smog? and how hard of a swap would it be?

As I noted originally any NEWER car (not truck) engine is legal to swap in Calif. As for swap difficulty, the motor is a bolt-in, but you'll need to swap everything else as well - computer, wiring, EFI fuel pump, catalytic converter, O2 sensor, speed sensor, etc. It's probably easier to swap the engine and trans as a unit due to the computer interface, but you can get an aftermarket speed sensor that will drive a normal speedo cable and still provide the computer input.

By the way, if you plan to modify this engine at all, get it certified in the stock configuration first to avoid a lot of headaches with the Air Resources Board. Also, you may want to check the Calif DMV and AQMD web sites. They have info on the requirements.
 
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