Smog exempt cars in CA?
Gary H
Are there certain year cars that are exempt from CA emissions law?
Thanks,
Gary
John P Norman
: Are there certain year cars that are exempt from CA emissions law?
: Thanks,
: Gary
Yes. The cars you are interested in are 1965 and before. You can
perform pretty much any modifications you want and not have to worry
about testing. Call up a smog test place and/or the DMV for more
details. The laws are pretty complicated.
John
Bob Cisneros
All cars built prior to, and including, 1965 are exempt from smog checks.
Also, engines under 50 cubic inches, 2cycle engines, diesels, and electric vehicles.
This is from a pamplet from the California Bureau of Automotive Repair
which came in my registration renewal package last month.
-Bob Cisneros
Disclaimer: These are my opinions only, and are subject to change
without notice!
David Detweiler
There are other ways around smog too. Such as if you bought a
pre-1975 truck out of state and brought it to California, when you
smog it, it only requires you to have the smog originally equiped on
the vehicle. For example, I own a 1970 Ford Bronco, it has headers,
holley carb with a 4-barrel, alluminiun intake, K&N air filter, etc.
When smog time comes around I just have to put the stock carberater and
air cleaner on and it passes easily. You can't go all out on the
engine this way but it's agood way to warm it over a little.
Also, if you perform an engine swap, your vehicle will take on the
smog qualifications of the vehicle you take it out of. Lets say you
own a 1968 Mustang with a 390 cubic inch engine whose performance is
being sucked away by unnecessary things like that smog pump and
unsightly smog hoses and charcoal canisters. You could say you got the
engine out of a 1964 Ford Galaxy and then pretty much do anything with
the engine.
Smog pumps are silly anyway, all they do is hurt fuel economy and
dillute your exhaust with clean air. They do not directly affect your
emmissions on your car. They just make the carbon a smaller PERCENTAGE
of all the things comming out. If you have a bucket of dirty water and
you throw it in your pool did you just reduce the amount of polutants
or just dilute them so they make up a smaller percentage of the waters
content?
C. Deforrest Smith
Two other exemptions:
- Vehicles with engines smaller than 55 cubic inches (Like a Fiat 850, Honda
600, etc.)
- Diesel-powered vehicles (at least in '91 they were)
Nothing says they have to stay that way...
cds
Roberto Arturo Schafer
> Also, if you perform an engine swap, your vehicle will take on the
> smog qualifications of the vehicle you take it out of. Lets say you
> own a 1968 Mustang with a 390 cubic inch engine whose performance is
> being sucked away by unnecessary things like that smog pump and
> unsightly smog hoses and charcoal canisters. You could say you got the
> engine out of a 1964 Ford Galaxy and then pretty much do anything with
Bzzzz! YOU LOSE. Try again!
> Smog pumps are silly anyway, all they do is hurt fuel economy and
> dillute your exhaust with clean air. They do not directly affect your
> emmissions on your car. They just make the carbon a smaller PERCENTAGE
Bzzzz! WRONG AGAIN. Go to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.
Rob
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John Batten
writes:
> There are other ways around smog too. Such as if you bought a
>pre-1975 truck out of state and brought it to California, when you
>smog it, it only requires you to have the smog originally equiped on
>the vehicle. For example, I own a 1970 Ford Bronco, it has headers,
>holley carb with a 4-barrel, alluminiun intake, K&N air filter, etc.
>When smog time comes around I just have to put the stock carberater and
>air cleaner on and it passes easily. You can't go all out on the
>engine this way but it's agood way to warm it over a little.
> Also, if you perform an engine swap, your vehicle will take on the
>smog qualifications of the vehicle you take it out of. Lets say you
>own a 1968 Mustang with a 390 cubic inch engine whose performance is
>being sucked away by unnecessary things like that smog pump and
>unsightly smog hoses and charcoal canisters. You could say you got the
>engine out of a 1964 Ford Galaxy and then pretty much do anything with
>the engine.
> Smog pumps are silly anyway, all they do is hurt fuel economy and
>dillute your exhaust with clean air. They do not directly affect your
>emmissions on your car. They just make the carbon a smaller
PERCENTAGE
>of all the things comming out. If you have a bucket of dirty water
and
>you throw it in your pool did you just reduce the amount of polutants
>or just dilute them so they make up a smaller percentage of the waters
>content?
>
>
I hate to pop your bubble, but in California it is illegal to install
an enging older than the body! You can swap in a newer engine but then
the car has to pass the smog inspection based on the new engines
required smog equipment.
As for smog pumps, yes, they are ugly and ad hoses and fittings that
are less than appealing visually but they DO cut hydrocarbon
emissions!! They do not dilute the exhaust!! The oxygen combines with
the excess hydrocarbons and converts them to carbon dioxide and water
in the exhaust system!!!! As far as horsepower loss it is at most 2 to
3 HP from driving the pump! On a street car, I for one can live with
the slight loss for cleaner air!!!!
John P Norman
: There are other ways around smog too. Such as if you bought a
: pre-1975 truck out of state and brought it to California, when you
: the vehicle. For example, I own a 1970 Ford Bronco, it has headers,
: holley carb with a 4-barrel, alluminiun intake, K&N air filter, etc.
: When smog time comes around I just have to put the stock carberater and
: air cleaner on and it passes easily. You can't go all out on the
You can also do tricky things like grind the Edelbrock emblem off
your manifold with a hand-grinder and paint it orange. The grinder trick
is also done with the engine code to alter the year/size information.
You could retain the smog pump hardware, but just leave the belt off until
testing time. (This may damage cats)
Also, a large diameter exhaust system and internal mods shouldn't be
too noticeable on visual.
You can even burn other fuel mixtures when it becomes sniffer-test
time. Straight methanol will definitely bring down the HCs, though you'll
likely have problems with all the crud from your fuel system coming loose.
Now then, it is also possible to go about it legally. Many 4-BBL carbs,
aluminum manifolds, and other performance items are CARB exempt.
Edelbrock has done quite a bit with smog-legal performance. See what's
available and legal.
John
Paul Mahler
>smog qualifications of the vehicle you take it out of. Lets say you
>own a 1968 Mustang with a 390 cubic inch engine whose performance is
>being sucked away by unnecessary things like that smog pump and
>unsightly smog hoses and charcoal canisters. You could say you got
the engine out of a 1964 Ford Galaxy and then pretty much do anything
with the engine.
Not true!! You can only swap a newer model drive train into a vehicle
and expect to get a smog ticket. For example, I put a 94 5.0 drive
train in my 84 volvo 245. I could have used a drive train from any year
new than the volvo. You also have to put EVERYTHING in when you swap,
down to the exhuast system and blinker fluid.
--
___________________________________
Paul Mahler
pma...@ix.netcom.com
Patrick Gainer
John P Norman <jpno...@cs.sci.csupomona.edu> wrote:
>
> Now then, it is also possible to go about it legally. Many 4-BBL carbs,
>aluminum manifolds, and other performance items are CARB exempt.
>Edelbrock has done quite a bit with smog-legal performance. See what's
>available and legal.
The threads here have slightly confused me. I was under the impression that
modifications were fine as long as the end result passed the smog test for
a particular year. Is this not true?
Pat
Steven J Orlin
In article <49vcc4$8...@fido.asd.sgi.com>,
aaahhhhh hehehehehehahahahahahaha! No Way Jose!!! But wouldn't WE
all love that!!??? It would be great if we could rally enough people
to pass something like this.. Yeah, I can picture it now, the million
rod cruise.. :)
Anyways, it is definitely possible to get the same or reduced emissions
with increased performance by ILLEGAL measures.
The line is kind of foggy, but basically you are not allowed to tamper
with anything on your car that could change the emissions. Basically,
anything that was put there to control emissions. See your local EPA
dept for the bullshit regulations that directly affects what you can and can't
do.
O.k. guys, fess up, how many are guilty?
*raises hand* :)
Steve
C. Deforrest Smith
>The threads here have slightly confused me. I was under the impression that
>modifications were fine as long as the end result passed the smog test for
>a particular year. Is this not true?
This is -not- true. :-> In CA you need to pass a visual test before the
car even starts...doesn't matter if it's clean at the tailpipe if a
non-approved smog setup is under the hood. This means anything that's
visibly changed from stock for that year engine, or doesn't have a CARB
number (in the case of legal aftermarket bits) fails you.
And, really, in most cases there's a legal way to go around it. I had
a 450hp big block in a 70 Camaro with the standard lumpy cam, headers,
Edelbrock highrise dual-plane, and Holley 650, and it passed. The only
stingy part was the carb, since it had to be a pricey, tiny smog model.
(of course, the 750 & open element air cleaner went on as soon as it
passed, but hey..)
Same for a '72 Vega with a slightly hotter 350...you just have to pick
the right parts and think about how to smog it BEFORE you start buying parts.
cds
David Detweiler
Arturo Schafer <rsch...@slonet.org> writes:
>
>On 2 Dec 1995, David Detweiler wrote in complete ignorance:
>
the
>> smog qualifications of the vehicle you take it out of. Lets say you
>> own a 1968 Mustang with a 390 cubic inch engine whose performance is
>> being sucked away by unnecessary things like that smog pump and
>> unsightly smog hoses and charcoal canisters. You could say you got
the
>> engine out of a 1964 Ford Galaxy and then pretty much do anything
with
>
>
and
>> dillute your exhaust with clean air. They do not directly affect
your
>> emmissions on your car. They just make the carbon a smaller
PERCENTAGE
>
$200.
>
>Rob
> \\\|///
> -(o o)-
>
------------------------------oOOOo--(_)--oOOOo------------------------
-----
> Rob's Web Pages
> Home Page: "http://www.slonet.org/~rschafer"
> Automotive Page:
"http://www.slonet.org/~rschafer/carsites.html"
> Ford Club/Mailing Lists Directory in the Ford section.
>______________________________________________________________________
_______
>
Boy, talk about biting your tongue, I am really starting to regret
posting a follow-up to the smog legal cars in CA posting. Okay, Lets
set the record sraight, I fu-ked up, I'm 19 I have never had an auto
shop class in my life, I was repeating, to the best of my knowledge
what I thought I remembered some one saying to me. I enjoy working on
my car as a hobby and much to many peoples relief, I am not pursueing a
job in the automotive repair industry. BELIEVE me, I am well aware of
my mistakes in the previous posting and have a full inbox of messages
to prove it. Thank you for correcting my mistake, I will probably
never forget the smog regulations of California now, but no thanks for
the sarcasm which came included with many peoples responses.
Thanks,
David
P. J. Remner
In a previous article, dav...@ix.netcom.com (David Detweiler) says:
> Smog pumps are silly anyway, all they do is hurt fuel economy and
>dillute your exhaust with clean air. They do not directly affect your
>emmissions on your car. They just make the carbon a smaller PERCENTAGE
>of all the things comming out. If you have a bucket of dirty water and
>you throw it in your pool did you just reduce the amount of polutants
>or just dilute them so they make up a smaller percentage of the waters
>content?
The A.I.R. pumps have actual purpose! They introduce oxygen to the
exhaust manifold, which ignites any unburned fuel. It also injects
oxygen into the catalytic converter, which burns any excess hydrocarbon
and also raises the temperature of the converter so it can do its job
properly. Basically it's blowing on the fire.