Scott,
I am interested in what you find out. AZ usually follows CA in the Smog
rules. If I can not pass my V8 project
then I may have to consider registering it out of the Phoenix area.
Jon Reed
"Scott Pontius" <spontius@worldnet.att.net> on 08/27/98 09:16:32 PM
Please respond to "Scott Pontius" <spontius@worldnet.att.net>
To: mgb-v8@Autox.Team.Net
cc: (bcc: Jon Reed/Corporate Office/J.J. Croney &
Associates/US)
Subject: SMOG was Let the mods begin
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. If you get
stopped at a roadblock smog checkpoint, or get sniffed by one of the
"electronical" exhaust sensors on the highways, and are found to have
disabled any original equipment smog device and/or are not within the
emission standards, you will be penalized. The law does not say that it is
now OK to run a full race motor on the streets in a '73 or earlier car.
Hence the problem for V8 installers: 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.
If
you are ever visually inspected in some sort of random check, you will
fail,
unless someone goes to the trouble of getting a CARB EO number for BV8
headers-unlikely.
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. For
example, it would apparently be okay to pull a straight six out of a '74
Chevy Nova and install a '74 Chevy 305, because the '74 Chevy Nova was
available and certified in '74 with the 305. But, does the California
guvmint consider the MGB to have been originally available with a 3500 cc
V8? I doubt they have ever heard of it.
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. Did they pass? Does the US EPA still have records of this?
Are these in fact the same factory V8 cars still owned here in the US?
Factory V8 owners: Do any of you have evidence of your car ever having
been
registered in the state of California? If, so this might provide a
precedent
for the non-factory installers to show that is is a previously certified
engine/chassis combo.
Not trying to discourage any California V8 installers, just encouraging
careful research and due consideration before spending lots of money/time.
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.
Scott Pontius
'78 MGB (with Minnesota plates) with 3/4 plumbed and wired SD1 V8 (totally
stock except for headers, which have O2 and EGR ports added)
Los Angeles (temporarily due to military orders- legal resident of the
state
of Minnesota)
-----Original Message-----
From: Jarl&CaroldeBoer <deboer@pacbell.net>
To: Jim Stuart <jimbb88@erols.com>
Cc: mgb-v8@Autox.Team.Net <mgb-v8@Autox.Team.Net>
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 1998 6:40 PM
Subject: Re: Let the mods begin
>NO ...it will NOT satisfy California regs. The minimum "cleanness" (and
>equipment) must be NO EARLIER than the year of the car. It may be newer,
>but to bring an earlier engine into compliance is virtually impossible,
>You'd need to modify it to work with the cat if it needs one, install an
>air pump, engineer all other 1974 equipment needs for a California car,
>and THEN have it meet the HC and CO specs for 1974. All in all a
>daunting task. The '80 would need to have it's computer, if any, and
>other plumbing and sensors as it would not only need them to meet
>"sniffer" specs, but would also need to meet a visual inspection that
>all the goodies (baddies?) the BAR list says must be on a 1980 are, in
>fact, present.
>
>A swapped car will probably ALSO need to go to a "referee" station the
>first time so that they can develop a special profile for that
>particular swap and installation. Future inspections can be done at a
>regular smog station. The referee inspection means extra $$$, a special
>appointment, and other garbage, but I'm not sure of the specifics.
>
>All in all, it would be a LOT less work to trade the '74 for a '73 and
>avoid all the hassles, since they are now grandfathered to be exempt.
>
>All of the above is why I resisted furiously working on anything newer
>than a 1967 during my 35+ years of repair and restoration!
>
>Jarl de Boer
>
>Jim Stuart wrote:
>>
>> Bill-
>>
>> Why not start with a Buick or Olds block, 1961-63, with your choice of
>> heads & other parts? Would this satisfy CA regs?
>>
>> Many of us run rebuilt Buick or Olds engines, & are quite happy with
>> them.
>>
>> Jim Stuart
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