Scott Pontius wrote:
>
> This is how the new California smog situation has been explained to me:
> The new law does NOT exempt any car from any smog regulations. It exempts
> the car from regularly scheduled compliance inspections ONLY.
Your reading matches my own.
> Even if you install a 1980 FI V8, a
> nice clean running engine, in a '73 or earlier B, you will have to run some
> sort of headers to make it physically fit in the engine bay. You have now
> changed an original equipment emission component, the exhaust manifolds.
According to the letter of the law.
My take is that if a 1980 FI engine is installed all of the original
emissions equipment from the donor car must be installed with the engine
(cats, air pump, computer, egr, etc). The fact that you are using
aftermarket headers would technically put you out of compliance but the
wording of the EPA memo on engine modifications is suffienctly vague
that they (the headers) should be allowed. Having said that ARB's
mentality (our way or no way) and EPA's allowance for California to set
their own rules may cause problems for those in California.
> Also, according to my California Bureau of Automotive Repair engine change
> guide, a small pamphlet published by the California guvmint, it is never
> allowable to swap any engine into any car that was not originally available
> and certified in that chassis, either by the CARB or the US EPA.
Again for those outside of California the EPA rules should allow use of
the later engine with full emissions equipment. My reading is that full
engine emissions would be needed and that the chassis evaporative system
would need to be installed and working. While the EPA memo is vague,
under the strictest reading you could be required to prove that the
conversion is clean (approximately $1,000 test if you pass straight
away) its doubtful it would ever come to that. Many times ARB's seems
more interested in flexing its muscle (I can stop you from doning
something) and promoting its own agenda than in propagation of rational
rules to help clean the air (just look how loose ARB is when applying
the same emission rules to alternative fuel vehicles many of which have
trouble meeting emission standards, but seem right to many
environmentalists).
> Questions for you V8 historians: One of my reference books seems to
> indicate that 7 MGBGT V8s were brought to the US by the factory for smog
> certification.
Let me know the years (1973 -1975 maybe). EPA has downloadable
databases of emission test results for most years (I'm at home and the
web address is at work)
> I personally believe that the California guvmint tries to make all of this
> as confusing and daunting as possible to discourage people from even trying.
Your not the only one.
Chris Moog
In somewaht maligned NYS where the laws ain't as bad as people believe
and vehicle registration is only $20 a year and yearly inspections $13
(non-NYC $35 and $25 respectively down there) and no personal property
tax.
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