Headers and Exhaust
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 319
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From: Sunnyvale CA
Headers and Exhaust
This is a stupid question I'm sure, but I'm young so I can ask stupid questions and it's ok. I know that a lot of local junk yards have A LOT of camaros, but almost no corvettes. Can I use headers that I pull off of a camaro in my '76 L48? I mean they have Chevy smallblocks so I would assume that you could.... someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Second question is this: Can I mess with the exhaust since my car still has to be smogged? I've heard that it is illegal to put true dual exhaust on my '76 since it isn't stock, but that doesn't make any sense to me. If I make sure that it still passes smog, is that legal? I live in CA so making sure that I'm legal is important. I'm not quite sure about the laws to if any California vette owners know about this, please let me know.
thanks
Second question is this: Can I mess with the exhaust since my car still has to be smogged? I've heard that it is illegal to put true dual exhaust on my '76 since it isn't stock, but that doesn't make any sense to me. If I make sure that it still passes smog, is that legal? I live in CA so making sure that I'm legal is important. I'm not quite sure about the laws to if any California vette owners know about this, please let me know.
thanks
Last edited by 76mike; Jun 24, 2005 at 01:31 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 10,053
Likes: 679
From: FL
Headers have to fit through the chassis as well as bolting to the engine. So, in short, Camaro headers will not fit.
As for smog, CA is evil. Not only do you have to pass the sniffer, all the emissions equipment and the exhaust configuration has to as the factory delivered it.
Basically, you are stuck with a 2-1-2 exhaust. This means two pipes off the engine to one catlytic converter to two mufflers. You can get headers with AIR fittings but I don't see how you could keep the EFE system (early fuel evaporation) with headers since EFE is mounted to the exhaust manifolds. And EFE is part of the required smog equipment.
And, as a final insult, CA stopped the rolling exemption limt last year so the now everything newer than 1975 has to be smogged every year.
CA law
CA politics
As for smog, CA is evil. Not only do you have to pass the sniffer, all the emissions equipment and the exhaust configuration has to as the factory delivered it.
Basically, you are stuck with a 2-1-2 exhaust. This means two pipes off the engine to one catlytic converter to two mufflers. You can get headers with AIR fittings but I don't see how you could keep the EFE system (early fuel evaporation) with headers since EFE is mounted to the exhaust manifolds. And EFE is part of the required smog equipment.
And, as a final insult, CA stopped the rolling exemption limt last year so the now everything newer than 1975 has to be smogged every year.
CA law
CA politics
