What is smog-legal in California?

Discussion in 'General Maverick/Comet' started by DarthMaverick, Feb 26, 2006.

  1. DarthMaverick

    DarthMaverick The Yang of Mavericks

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    [font=Arial, Helvetica]The following list will help you determine if a part for your vehicle is a replacement part and legal for use on pollution. Check the manufacturer's catalogue to verify vehicle application and look for disclaimers, such as "Not legal for street use in California."[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Air Cleaner[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Most emission controlled vehicles will have an air cleaner that is a closed element type or thermostatically controlled. A replacement air cleaner must meet the same specifications as the original and connect to any emissions equipment that was attached to the original equipment air cleaner. Any replacement air cleaner elements may be used as long as they meet original factory specifications. Any air cleaner that does not meet the original factory specifications requires an Executive Order to be legal for street use.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Cams[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]The manufacturer of replacement cams determines which of their parts are considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement cams are then listed by vehicle year, make, model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue. A replacement cam must have exactly the same specifications (grind) as the original part. Cams that have different specifications than the original part require an Executive Order to be legal for street use.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Carburetors[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]The manufacturer of replacement carburetors determines which of their models are considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement carburetors are then listed by vehicle year, make, model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue. Carburetors not listed as replacement parts by their manufacturer must have an Executive Order to be legal for street use.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Catalytic Converters[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]A legal aftermarket catalyst is one that is listed in an ARB approved manufacturers catalogue for the year, make, model, and engine size of vehicle on which it is being installed. Manufacturers of aftermarket catalytic converters must obtain an Executive Order for their products from the Air Resources Board in order to be listed in an approved catalogue.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Coils and Ignition Wires[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Any type of coil or ignition wires may be used as long as they meet original manufacturer specifications.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Computer Chips[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Replacement computer chips must be an original equipment manufacturer part. Aftermarket computer chips must have an Executive Order to be legal for street use.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Electronic Ignitions[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]The manufacturer of replacement electronic ignitions determines which of their models are considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement electronic ignitions are then listed by vehicle year, make, model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue. Electronic ignitions or electronic point replacement units for vehicles not originally equipped with these items require an Executive Order to be legal for street use. Swapping electronic ignitions from different years, engines, or makes is illegal.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Distributors[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]The manufacturer of a replacement distributor determines which of their models are considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement distributors are then listed by vehicle year, make, model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue. Swapping distributors from different years, engines or makes is illegal. Aftermarket distributors that are not listed as replacements for the original part require an Executive Order number to be legal for street use.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Fuel Injection[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]The manufacturer of replacement fuel injection systems determines which of their systems are considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement fuel injection systems are then listed by vehicle year, make, model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue. Fuel injection systems not listed as replacement parts require an Executive Order to be legal. Modifications that change a vehicle from fuel injection to carburetion or from carburetion to fuel injection also require an Executive Order to be legal.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Fuel Tanks[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Replacement fuel tanks must be identical to the original part. Add-on fuel tanks, or tanks with greater capacity than the original tank are legal for street use only if they have been issued an Executive Order.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Heads[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Replacement heads must be identical to the original part. Head swaps from different years, engines or makes are illegal. Aftermarket heads or valve train components that are not made to the same specifications as the original parts require an Executive Order to be legal for street use.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Headers[/font]





    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Non-Catalytic Converter Equipped Vehicles



    [/font][font=Arial, Helvetica]Headers for non-catalyst equipped vehicles are considered legal replacement parts as long the replacement header allows for the installation of all smog control equipment originally attached to the stock exhaust manifold. Depending on the vehicle, some of the equipment that would normally be attached to the exhaust manifold includes:[/font]
    • [font=Arial, Helvetica]Air Injectors[/font]
    • [font=Arial, Helvetica]Heat Shields for the Thermostatic Air Cleaner[/font]
    • [font=Arial, Helvetica]Heat Risers[/font]
    • [font=Arial, Helvetica]EGR System Hookups[/font]
    • [font=Arial, Helvetica]Fuel Evaporation Systems[/font]
    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Catalytic Converter Equipped Vehicles





    [/font][font=Arial, Helvetica]Headers for use on catalytic converter equipped vehicles require an Executive Order to be legal for street use.[/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Intake Manifolds[/font][font=Arial, Helvetica]The manufacturer of replacement manifolds determines which of their models are considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement manifolds are then listed by vehicle year, make, model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue.[/font][font=Arial, Helvetica]Replacement manifolds may be made of a different material than the original part, for example polished aluminium instead of cast iron, but the design of the casting must be the same. Any manifold not listed as replacement part by its manufacturer must have an Executive Order to be legal for street use.[/font][font=Arial, Helvetica]Carburetor adapter plates are not legal unless they are an integral part of a replacement manifold.[/font]

     
  2. DarthMaverick

    DarthMaverick The Yang of Mavericks

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    Somg laws continued....

    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Other Internal Engine Parts[/font]
    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Replacement internal engine parts, such as pistons, rods, or the crank, must be designed to factory specifications. Oversize parts can be used as long as they are within factory tolerances for replacement engine parts. Any part not built within factory specifications requires an Executive Order to be legal for street use.[/font]
    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Transmission or Transaxle[/font]
    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Transmissions and transaxles changes alone are not legal. Transmissions and transaxles can only be changed along with their matching engine. The total engine transmission package must conform to the engine change requirements above.[/font]
    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Replacement Engines[/font][font=Arial, Helvetica]Entire engines can be replacement parts. As with any other replacement part, the engine must be identical to the original. If the replacement block or engine is obtained without emissions equipment, all the equipment from the original engine must be installed on the replacement block.[/font][font=Arial, Helvetica]If the engine is not identical to the original then it is not a replacement part, instead it is considered an engine change.[/font][font=Arial, Helvetica]Engine changes are a modification that must meet certain requirements to be legal (please see "Engine Changes").[/font]
    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Japanese Replacement Engines[/font][font=Arial, Helvetica]Used engines imported from Japan can be used as replacement engines as long as the engine being used has been identified as functionally identical to the original engine. Please refer to the engine importers catalogue to determine if a replacement engine is legal for installation in your vehicle. [/font]
    [font=Arial, Helvetica]Engine Changes[/font][font=Arial, Helvetica]Engine changes are legal as long as the following requirements are met to ensure that the change does not increase pollution from the vehicle:[/font]


    • [font=Arial, Helvetica]The engine must be the same year or newer than the vehicle.[/font]
    • [font=Arial, Helvetica]The engine must be from the same type of vehicle (passenger car, light-duty truck, heavy-duty truck, etc.) based on gross vehicle weight.[/font]
    • [font=Arial, Helvetica]If the vehicle is a California certified vehicle then the engine must also be a California certified engine.[/font]
    • [font=Arial, Helvetica]All emissions control equipment must remain on the installed engine.[/font]
    [font=Arial, Helvetica]After an engine change, vehicles must first be inspected by a state referee station. The vehicle will be inspected to ensure that all the equipment required is in place, and vehicle will be emissions tested subject to the specifications of the installed engine.[/font]
     
  3. Jamie Miles

    Jamie Miles the road warrior

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    What the hell kind of sense does that make? Surely none of this applys to cars as old as ours? God I hate California.
     
  4. sierra grabber

    sierra grabber Certifiable

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    when i lived there i had a wagoneer with the Anything Motors Crap 360 that was worn and tired. i tried to get the ok to put a TBI chevy 350 in it (only because it was easier and cheaper than anything else) it would have gotten better gas mileage and less emissions than the 360 in top form, by leaps and bounds. i was told i would have to get a state examiner to approve it and check it every year by that same state smog station that was only open mon-fri 8-5 (normal smog checks are every other year at whatever gas station you decieded to stop at) and carry a special decal showing it was approved. hmmm, for some strange reason i just slapped in another amc long block and drove it that way. i could go on for hours about how backwards the regs are from logic.
     
  5. Scotty P

    Scotty P Member

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    My '70 is exempt and I can run anything I would like. The pnly thing I have ever been stopped for was noise. After a quick check on their meter, no ticket no problem. (30yrs is the CURRENT law. Arnold is trying to change that however)
     
  6. sierra grabber

    sierra grabber Certifiable

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    really? in what way?
    yeah the last time i smogged the grabber before they upped the date i was sweating it because i had just switched over to a four barrel and cam. i painted the stock air cleaner so there was no 2v decal and took it to a gas station.the guy barely passed it (i wonder why). my fav smog story was the bug i got when i was a teenager. it was a total and i was trying to register it inoperable. spent half an hour arguing with the dmv clerk that a car with no engine in it being registered as not street legal should not need a smog check. the true irony in that is that now cali is talking about smog requirements for racing vehicles.
     
  7. Maverick Man

    Maverick Man The Original Maverick Man

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    Two 1973 LDO Mavericks (one 4 Drag one 4 driving like Mad on the roads :) ) also have a 75 6cyl Stock! Ok, well sort of Stock :P
    1976 and up are the only cars that will ever need to get a smog check and really have to apply to those rules.

    unless you get pulled over by some real you know what (which i have in the past) and site you up to a ref station.

    years ago a cop that pulled me over said that "this car never came with a v8" and then said that my headers were not allowed on my car. so i told him yes they are... then he said he wasn't the one to decide if it was ok or not. Then i told him then why are you telling me what is ok and what isn't if you just told me you aren't.

    the guy was a total a-hole. i got pissed and slamed my hood and told him do what he wanted.. and pointed at my Police call sign licence plate (which at that time ment someone in your family was a cop.) so he wrote me up for loud music instead.

    i fought the ticket... he didn't show up cuz he broke his leg! oh well pay backs a bitch!
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2006
  8. Jamie Miles

    Jamie Miles the road warrior

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    In GA it's '82 and newer that require emissions inspections. '86 and newer require titles. '81 and older do not require an inspection of any kind. Just register it, do what ever you want to it, and drive the wheels off of it.

    Whats the governator trying to do now, try to make even older vehicals pass emissions?
     
  9. Scotty P

    Scotty P Member

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    MavMan, I think you meant POST 1976 cars need a smog check.
     
  10. sierra grabber

    sierra grabber Certifiable

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    im glad its up to 76 now at least, when i moved it was still at 74. when i smogged the grabber was right before they stopped requiring 66 and newer. but no one answered what change arnie is trying to make.
     
  11. DarthMaverick

    DarthMaverick The Yang of Mavericks

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    Well...

    my maverick is a 1976..Alnold reamed me on that one. I bought it so I wouldn't have to smog it. :cry:
     
  12. ATOMonkey

    ATOMonkey Adam

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    Move to Indiana. There is no limits for smog check on anything. The only thing I haven't been able to get away with is catalyst removal. Exhaust shops get fined if the gov finds out they've been installing illegal exhaust (even though none of the cars are checked). That might change though (car checks that is). We have some of the worst air in the country. I argue that is has more to do with 5 interstates running through a city with a population of 1 million than the condition of the residents vehicles. The coal burning power plants and foundries on the south side could have something to do with it too. Oh well... I'm still in the clear.

    Jaime, changing the transmission or rear axle ratio changes the fuel economy and actually has a big impact on emissions. When we were tuning engines we fiddled around with all kinds of gears to reduce the load on the engine and still get decent fuel economy. It was a trade off. We had 4.10 gears in the F-150 for emissions reasons if that makes any sense!!
     
  13. Jamie Miles

    Jamie Miles the road warrior

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    My entire family is from Indianapolis. My grandma, uncle and cousin still live up there. We go up there a couple of times a year to visit, scruffy looking area with terrible roads and everyone calls coke "soda". Thanks, but I'll stay in GA. :tiphat:

    I took that as meaning if your original stock transmission blows, you can't replace just the transmission. You have to replace the engine/transmission as a unit, even if the problem is just the transmission. But what do I know.
     
  14. Maverick Man

    Maverick Man The Original Maverick Man

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    Two 1973 LDO Mavericks (one 4 Drag one 4 driving like Mad on the roads :) ) also have a 75 6cyl Stock! Ok, well sort of Stock :P
    haa you right .. duh! i'll fix that
     
  15. stmanser

    stmanser Looking for a Maverick

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    yeah i grew up in california as a kid.. left there in 1990 for the air force... and it is a pain in the ass on cars..

    all cars newer that 76 have to be smogged i think... you cannot buy any parts for a car unless they say made for cars in california.. and that sticker has to be attached to the car, under the hood... and then you have to disclose the information to the tech that checks the car


    its such a hassle... the reason for this.... so many cars poluting the air in the 60's 70's 80's and 90's changed the laws.. have you seen LA in the summer time? ouch..

    thank god i dont live there anymore.. i dont think i could stand to be told what i can and cant do to my car
     

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