Hey guys,

I've been racking my brain on a good combo for my exhaust/etc. with california emissions and had a sudden relization. My car isn't from california, it's from new york. So i looked up some stuff on the smog and confirmed that my smog sticker says it meets federal requirements with no mention of california. This is all kind of a duh but I didn't even think about it until today. So I'm wondering, can I use 49 state legal performance parts? The smog guys go by the sticker on the hood, right? If thats the case, pumping my motor up is going to be a bazillion times easier then I thought. Also, where can I get good info on fed smog standards? Can I go from a single cat to dual cats under federal smog standards? thanks guys!

 

All that means is the % numbers and PPM of contaminants you have to meet are the federal ones. This is taken care of when the tech enters your car into the system.

However - that said, any part installed in CA on a smog equipped vehicle needs a California exception number from the Air Resources Board.

To the best of my knowledge Fed standards do not allow for dual cats in cars that were not equipped for them...how do people get away with this? I cant begin to guess...in any case California smog laws dont permit dual cats on any car that didnt come with them...

My car is federal standards...only because my car wasnt even allowed to be SOLD in california it still has to be smogged per California standards and all the restrictions that implies.

Striaght from DMV website

 

thats not what i wanted to hear

i hope your not right, i question it because my car would have been sold in ca with different equipment, ala, a 305 and a computer controlled carb. but i can have a 350 with any egr carb because it didn't come with that stuff. if this car was in another state and had something 49 state legal done there and then brought here then it would be ok, so why wouldn't it be ok to install once it's registered in ca? know what i mean? although i do see how if it's in ca it needs a ca eo now no matter being possibly true I can see it going either way. Oh well, maybe i just to talk to a smog referee. thnks dude.

 

I just checked the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repairs) site and they say right there that no vehicle is held to a higher standard (emissions output) than they were required to meet new..so you only have to meet the federal numbers.. however in their engine modifications webpage they make it clear that ALL parts placed in a vehicle must have an E.O. number.

My 78 passes smog every time and its reasonably legal...even for a car you couldnt actually buy in CA back in 78.

 

from the site

 

thanks for the link, that was fantastic and gave me some more information. you'll notice though that it always mentions ca vehicles and not 49 state vehicles. It was still helpful though as it gave me the email to someone on the air resource board. i just sent her an email, hopefully she can give me a definite answer.

 

Suggest you join www.semasan.com and add another voice to their pro-performance car enthusiasts lobby.

 

done and done, i've been following that annual smog check thing with my fingers crossed for a while now

 

straight from the horses mouth (email from arb)

oh well, i guess this means i'm going illegal. i do have to make call to hedman though just in case. their web-site is conflicting, the headers that have a ca legal footnote also have a not legal in ca footnote. maybe there is hope. anyways, just wanted to update you guys on the results.

 

I don't mean to brag.... But in IL, the laws are extremely lax, which helps in the old car department. All antiques are exempt from testing, as well as all vehicles pre-96. And I've got a friend with a 2000 Camaro with no cats that passed the IL emissions test..... You tell me

On the otherhand, the rest of the pollution in Illinois can be UGLY!

 

OK here is something that ARB guy didnt tell you....Smog technicians dont always check the numbers...I run a set of Hedman 4-1 headers with the air tubes.. the very ones that specifically say they are not legal in CA.

I have been in CA for 10 years smogged the car 5 times - ALL 5 TIMES at a test only station and 1 time at a state run referree station...not once did I fail and not once did they care about those headers.

They are gonna look under the hood and see if your gear is there and they MAY actually test to see if it works. but if your headrers have air rails and they are hooked up and the smog pump pumps air...they are 99.99% of the time gonna pass you on the visual.

I cant guarantee that they wont ever nail you for those headers...but in 10 years it hasnt happened to me and its never even once been mentioned...just dont forget to also get the hot air stove that connects to your air cleaner and takes hot air from the headers...I've failed the visual over that before.

My advice = Buy the headers....

 

You're in CA. Can't you just tell them you're an illegal?? Then you don't have to follow any laws...

 

thats the damn truth


fauxrs, thanks for the pics dude. i think i will do the same thing you did, it's nice to know that it's possible to get away with, i'll just keep my stock exhaust set aside incase i get burned by the smog guy.

how were they to install? looks like they have as much spark plug wire clearance as stock manifolds, that good.

 

Very nice. And you know, there is also some other great stuff that even has an EO number: Now, the Edelbrock alum 64 cc heads are legal- not just the 70 cc heads; and Cats have been significantly improved, like the 3 inch Magnaflows.. So we can get some good power out of a "federal" or CA vette and still pass smog. Hey Fauxrs. didn't I meet you a couple of months ago at the friday show in Escondido? I was asking you about those Hedman headers and checking out your exhaust? JIM

 

I run those edelbrock heads you mention.. and a 3" carsound high flow cat.

And yes we've met at the Escondido Cruise..

 

Frankly I dont even think its a "get away with it" issue, the smog guys recognise that it doesnt effect the ability of your smog gear to function so they let you slide.

Installation is a breeze but it must be done from below - they wont go in from above. If you have a stick the z-bar must be removed to get the driverside manifold in. The only issue I had, not everyone has though, is that on my car the passenger side header just grazes the idler arm boot. I put a slight dimple in the header tube at that point by using a large socket and a mallet. Spark plug clearance and access is as good or better than the rams horns.

I've seen installations of the headers that didnt require it..but its worth mentioning. the Dimple is very very tiny and wont damage any coating of the headers provided you donttreat them like the samsonite gorilla.

 

sweet thanks. i had to ask because when i installed hooker headers on my truck it was a huge pain in the rear and i had to almost take everything off of the darn motor to get them on.

 

JUst an educated guess ... but many states have found emissions laws so onerous to administer that they have gone to a system by which ... if it's 1996 or newer (having OBDII) then all they do is scan the computer for any diagnostic trouble codes affecting emissions ... if no code ... it passes. Maybe your state like that dunno?

FYI ... it's VERY easy to fool the rear (downstream) oxygen sensor into thinking the cat is functioning perfectly ... less than buck's worth of resistors & capacitors will do both banks of a V8 & they're easily hidden cuz they're so small ... don't ask me how I know ... but I do. We don't have emmisions testing here (YET) but if you have a late model that's throwing DTC & its MIL illuminated because of a supposedly faulty cat or NO cat ... where there's a will there's a way. Google mil eliminator ... you'll find plenty info. "The Fix" has been working so well that a few months back the FED EPA got wind of it and issued a directive that clarifies it's illegal to sell or install such stuff and to enforce it ... effectively shutting down alotta online & ebay sellers of the devices. You can find that directive on fed EPA site.

Also ... I've known of some late models that didn't throw a DTC nor light up the MIL when cat is gone ... dunno why?