For those of you on this list in California, I thought I would point out a new
law that went into effect this year. It concerns Kit cars. These cars are
referred to as "Specially Constructed Vehicles" in California Vehicle code
parlance. The new law assigns a number of "Permits" (500 to be exact) that the
DMV will assign. Those permits will allow the owner of a road-going "Specially
Constructed Vehicle) to choose to have the smog requirements based on either
the year of the motor or the year of the chassis. It still requires the Highway
Patrol to inspect the car for street equipment, but allows the Bureau of
Automotive Repair to inspect the motor based on the year of origin. It does not
apply to engine swaps in regular cars, only the State defined "Specially
Constructed Vehicle". I assume you will have to prove the original year of the
block, at least. But this should allow you to find that 1965 390 FE Big Block
and build a nice "Factory Five" or other Cobra kit car, or stick a Corvair
motor into that VW based kit car! To find out more you should go to the DMV web
site. www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/spcns.htm - Good Luck - Seth Emerson
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