1973 was the first year of required emissions controls in the US Federally.
It usually meant Catalytic convertors. They were easy to make, and install
without design changes. All models HAD to run less emissions than the
previous year. I got this information from the manual for my 1973 Formula,
and from the engineers at Tenneco, Inc. (the makers of Dynamax and many OEM
catalytic convertors)
-> Steven
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-bricklin@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-bricklin@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Seth
Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2001 10:56 PM
To: Bricklin@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Fwd: fyi Left Coast Bureacracy
Just an FYI, most states (thankfully not Michigan which doesn't do smog
tests) have
set the year cut-off at 1973. This is very common. I'm a bit rusty on this
topic but
used to be fairly knowledgable (many years in Nevada making vehicles smog
legal,
or smog legal for the test). I can't remember if '73 was the first year any
type of smog
equipment was mandatory (in the 49 states, Ca is typically 1 year prior
across the
board on all smog systems) or the final year when all the equip was
mandatory
(PCV, EGR, etc). I thought it was the first year, as such, that is typically
why
emissions tests usually start with 73 and anything prior doesn't need it.
Seth
#1544
On 10/22/01, at 1:14 AM, Steve Owens wrote:
>After researching smog issues pertaining to Bricklins (of any model year)
>based in, or destined for, California, I thought I might as well document
it
>in case others are heading for that. It would probably be of greatest
>interest to potential Bricklin buyers here (that is, non-CA will likely
want
>to skip reading).
>
>Vehicles of 1973 or earlier are exempt from smog examinations. If you own
>such a car, you can do just about anything you want with it's engine. In
>effect, the cut-off year is 1973; as such, Bricklins must pass smog checks
>every two years even if it is not changing hands.
>
>The DMV regulates registration, which coincides with verifying a smog
check.
> In theory and in practice it is possible to have "historical vehicle"
>plates and yet still be subjected to the smog regulations like a daily
>commuter devoid of any special interest appeal.
>
>The year of exclusion is not set by the DMV; the Bureau of Auto Repair
>(BAR--see links at end) decides this. Nothing per se, stops the Bureau
from
>changing the rules tommorrow, from rolling back the cut-off year to 1960 or
>rolling it forward to 1990.
>
>The Bureau of Auto Repair is constantly lobbied by two special interest
>groups to roll it back (to at least what it had been in the 80s ... a cut
>off year about 1966). Environmentalists lobby for such rollbacks. Smog
>check station owners are the second group (surprise); they sort of miss the
>days of collecting in excess of $200 from muscle cars they would have not
>otherwise seen. The special interest group lobbying for a roll UP, is the
>special interest car people. Obviously, Bricklin owners are not alone. To
>say some 2nd generation Firebird owners with 455 blocks 'share the pain' is
>an understatement.
>
>The Bureau of Auto Repair refuses to estimate what the next exclusion year
>will be and when it would be effective. If you were thinking along the
>lines of a 2 year restoration with upgrading to a bigger engine, this would
>matter a lot.
>
>If the Bureau behaves in the future in any way like it had in the past, it
>will wait until 2007 and then set the exclusion year at about
>1980...consequently letting all Bricklins off the hook at the same time.
>
>If your Bricklin is estimated to cost over $400 to make smog-legal, it
would
>probably be labeled a 'gross polluter' and there is no financial limit on
>what you can be made to spend. It becomes a red flag and you are likely to
>be directed to "special" stations.
>
>Bricklins with engine swaps will raise eyebrows. The Bureau wants engine
>swap cars to pass only if that engine were offered. (A senior agent of the
>bureau also said the year of the engine had to meet certain parameters but
I
>was able to make him reverse his position when I pointed out that so many
>engine swaps in daily commuters are conducted without regard to engine
>year--and these are never frowned upon, in and of themselves). The
>Bureau/smog station "might" give a 1974 401 Bricklin the green light, if
>it's emission is low enough. However, if they figure out that Bricklin did
>not offer a 401 at all, they would immediately write it off as illegal,
even
>if it put out far less than the legal limit. For 75-76 Bricklins, the same
>would hold true: too much toxic waste and the car fails, a technician
>recognizes a better engine (even of the same make) and happens to know it
>wasn't offer then the car fails.
>
>The mediocre silver lining on this cloud is that which is probably known to
>most already: the bigger the engine and the older the car, the higher the
>tolerances for various pollutants. Also, (to my knowledge) 1974 Bricklins
>never had catalytic converters. Which means they can take leaded gas. But
>if a Bricklin is "borderline", the addition of new catalytic converters is
>not illegal and would probably 'save' the smog inspection. Sooner or
later,
>an engine rebuild will probably still be necessary though.
>
>Technicals:
>During the mid-70s, carburetors approached a climax in complexity but still
>did not meter accurately under all conditions to have minimal unburned
fuel.
> Also, pre-1980 engines tended to rely on valve overlap to make a lot of
>power. Post-1990 engines had mature fuel injection and ECM systems.
>Consider that one may buy a Dodge Viper making 450+ hp and it's ok. But
>consider what Dodge would have said to you if you wanted that such a car in
>1974--"get lost". The difference is FI, ECM (which, in the most advanced
>cars can dictate a bewildering array of valve timing to make power and burn
>almost all the fuel).
>
>Outlaw esoteric:
>If a cop thinks a Bricklin merely "looks smoggy", he can write up a ticket
>that requires an early smog check. If a citizen wants to complain about a
>Bricklin "looking smoggy" (or just get revenge because of road rage), he
can
>call 1-800-CUT-SMOG but that only results in the DMV sending the owner a
>letter hinting that someday you may be found to be not in compliance with
>smog laws.
>
>Most smog station technicians do not know what engines were offered in the
>Bricklins. Moreover, they may rely on the ID tag only, not knowing
anything
>if it's the wrong tag or missing. A technician who is keen on AMC
practices
>(how many of those are left?) can look for a large 401 cast into the lower
>left side of the block. Otherwise, the 401 is outwardly identical to it's
>360 cousin. Consider also that in the 24 months between smog checks,
>backyard mechanics have swapped engines (out goes the 'green' engine, in
>goes the 'mean' engine, until the next smog check). I didn't dream up
these
>concepts up and don't mean to endforse them per se...it's just that it's
>been such a hassel for so long that people have already given thought to
>various resolutions. Prior to 1997, the black market for certificates
>errupted and spread like wildfire. Later, that market became a ghost town
>for three reasons, 1) govt agencies set up stings to catch issuers, 2)
>prosecutions of issuers became more frequent and fierce, and 3) most muscle
>car drivers didn't need them when the exemption was changed to pre-1974
>cars.
>
>As for me, I haven't even tried to pass yet...I want everything to be
>perfect...or as close as I can get it.
>
>http://www.dmv.ca.gov/faq/faq.htm#SMOG
>http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/stdhome.asp
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