Engine Swap
Thread Starter
1st Gear
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: CA
Engine Swap
Hey team,
I've got a newbie question about what I can get away with and keep things smog-legal in California.
I'm the recent owner of a 1980 C3 with a L48 and a 4 speed. We bought this car as a project car with the intention of dropping out the powertrain and replacing it with something with a little more gumption. For various reasons, we don't want to go with an E-ROD LS/LT crate engine, so that leaves us with a variety of small block options. GM obviously offers quite a wide spread of these engines, but I'm not well-versed enough in emissions compliance to know what we can safely get away with. If we drop in a replacement small block hooked up to cats with a smog pump, are we clear in terms of passing smog?
Thanks in advance.
I've got a newbie question about what I can get away with and keep things smog-legal in California.
I'm the recent owner of a 1980 C3 with a L48 and a 4 speed. We bought this car as a project car with the intention of dropping out the powertrain and replacing it with something with a little more gumption. For various reasons, we don't want to go with an E-ROD LS/LT crate engine, so that leaves us with a variety of small block options. GM obviously offers quite a wide spread of these engines, but I'm not well-versed enough in emissions compliance to know what we can safely get away with. If we drop in a replacement small block hooked up to cats with a smog pump, are we clear in terms of passing smog?
Thanks in advance.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,023
Likes: 1,181
From: La Mesa CA
IMHO, The big problem you will be faced with is the visual inspection, assuming you will be clean on the testing side of things. All the smog stuff needs to be there. However, they are not going to tear into you engine to see what they can find.
Glenn in San Diego
Glenn in San Diego
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,062
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Those GM crates should have en EO# if they qualify. You can always ask your smog ref first.
If you dont want to do the Erod stuff see what your allowable emissions are now, do a pretest, go from there.
If you dont want to do the Erod stuff see what your allowable emissions are now, do a pretest, go from there.
