Hey everyone,

I have been lurking on this forum for a while now. I have always wanted a C3 and have been trying to learn as much as possible from all of you. I have a bunch of questions but here is the most important...

I really want a chrome bumper 68-72... BUT, I live in a city that requires inspection (Including Emissions test) regardless of the age of the vehicle. So, can a vette, Pre-Catalytic converter pass with the rest of them?

Please say yes...

Any info is greatly appreciated. I truly value all of your opinions, thanks in advance.

Moose

 

I'd imagine the emissions test would be what ever level of emssions the car put out originally. A chrome bumper model should pass but may need all of the anti polution controls installed, parts which owners routinely threw away years ago. It may also be possible to tune for an emssions test. Probably run like crap but may get by...

 

No place I know of requires a car to be 'cleaner' than the day it was born.

 

Running E-85 (ethonol blended gas) will reduce the emissions greatly. There are two threads I've been reading about Ethonol blends and how they effect our old cars and how to convert over to run it alone. If you are only running a tank a year, no need to change rubber lines and gaskets, but you will need to adjust your timing to make it run right.

 

Call your emissions testing folks and ask.

 

 

Hi ATC,
The base engines in 70-72 (at least) didn't have any pollution equipment beyond a vapor canister for the fuel tank, the usual pvc valve, and a TCS or CEC (depending on the year) solenoid. They didn't use the AIR equipment that some of the higher hp option engines needed.
They might be a good choice for you if you're concerned about emission inspections.
Regards,
Alan

 

alan, seems to me i remember my 69 4 spd convert having an air pump on it (which of course i removed immediately, lol in addition to the pcv valve etc).

 

You have a tough one there. At first I'd have thought that it would be exempt but Memphis has it's own rules. Here's what it says:

DURING IDLE SPEED EMISSIONS TEST
CO ( % )
HC (PPM)

Pre 72 8.2
73-74 8.2
75-77 5.0
78-79 3.0

So it would depend entirely on the car you chose whether it would produce the proper emissions. Alternatively there is the antique auto section but it is pretty limiting on use.

Antique Motor Vehicles. Per Tennessee Code Ann. § 55-4-111, a person may register a vehicle as an
“antique motor vehicle” providing that certain requirements are satisfied. The vehicle:
· Must be a motor vehicle over twenty-five (25) years old and have a non-modified engine and body,
· Can be used for participation in, or transportation to and from, club activities, exhibits, tours,
parades, and similar uses as a collector’s item,
· Can only be used for general transportation on Saturday and Sunday, and
· Can be used on any day for the purpose of selling, vehicle testing, or obtaining repairs to or doing
maintenance on the vehicle

Your safest bet would be to buy one locally and have it tested BEFORE purchasing to ensure that it is capable of passing. I would say that it IS possible to have one as you described and to meet the standards, you'll just have to really be careful in your choice. There is a huge difference in allowable CO2 output between a 78 and a 74.

 

Thanks guys for all of the input. You have confirmed my suspicions. If I lived a mile away I would be outside city limits and be completely exempt. I really wanted something that could be a driver for the summer months at least, I just couldn't see registering as an antique and only being able to drive it 2 days a week for 6 months out of the year...


Maybe I should sell my house...

Argh!

Moose

 

To be honest I ran into a somewhat similar problem years ago when I purchased a 79 that could not pass emissions even if it had all the necessary parts .... My solution was kind of simple.. I registered the car in my name BUT at my brothers home address in another county of the State which did not have emission standards .... car stayed in my garage however...

Bottom line is however is that it must meet the standards in effect when it was produced... The City/State/County require it to be cleaner then when it was new...

The usage restrictions seem normal for any car registered as a antique.. BUT gosh who knows how many miles I drive my Corvettes during the week just to check the the pressures or if it were pulling to one side or the other if I took my hand off the wheel
those check drives always took a good hour or so...and were perfectly legal.

Bob G.

 

I moved from mem to ms back in 97.back then you could get a goat cart to pass insp.there are ways to get it to pass.I wouldn't worry about antique plates.I have never been pulled over to check how many times in a week I had driven it.

 

don't play these little tricks.. you think they don't know what you would be trying to do? Don't give THE MAN an excuse.. you will always be looking over your shoulder.. you never know when an over zealous LEO or DMV bigshot will just take your car from you.
learn what the rules are and how to play by the rules..

just do your research.... the older the car, the more leniant your testing emmissions will be.

 

I wouldn't recommend breaking the law with the Antique classification... but E85 and a tune will get you to pass and be completly legal

 

I think you mean cannot require it to be cleaner

 

I lived where I use to have to do that....you had to drive the car on the rollers and hold a certain speed with their 'sniffer' up the tail pipe...seems like my friends with high powered/modified motors would put their manual trans cars in third gear and just let the motor idle(which had enough power to turn the roller at the necessary speed) with their car tuned to pass emissions test like that....then retune

a lot of shops in the areas that have to pass those tests will have the 'sniffers' to tune the car to pass....some will even tune it and take it thru for you(often taking a few tries)...but yeah, if you want a corvette C3, get a 74 or earlier so that it is required to have the least amount of emissions equipment onboard, otherwise with a later car you might be forced to stay more OEM stock
...but with the earlier cars you should be able to still go wild with side pipes and everything (hopefully)

 

It did. Read Alan's post again.

 

What about 1972?

 

I have antique plates on my car. No matter where or when I drive it, the car is always on exhibit. Moreover, since I am constantly working on it, it is always necessary to drive it for vehicle testing.

 

When we had emissions testing, If you had Historic Tags there was no testing. So everybody with older cars were trying to get the Historic Tag. The tag cost a little more but less than trying to make the car conform.