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Question to this group... my 1978 Corvette doenst have a smog pump or a catalytic converter.
It wont pass smog emissions, and therefore it is non-op in the great state f California.
My intake is an Edelbrock... could I change my Holley carburetor to a fuel injection carburetor and intercut on a catalytic converter to my exhaust pipes to get this to pass smog... or will a redo of the manifold, carb, catalytic and the addition of a converter and smog will be the only way to get this thing to pass?
The car runs good, but I cant get it registered because the previous owner decided to hot rod it and take off all emissions. Appreciate any help!
Id check with your local smog ref, they are your friends. They can show you in black and white what you can do...better to know the first time rather than finding out the hard way. One ref was pretty lenient, got it "close" visually and let my non carb approved headers by as I put smog tubes in it.
Love centerlines on the C3, timeless! Lots of CARB legal stuff for what you have.
Will you still need a cat if you go EFI? Only the ref can answer that one, I imagine you would for the visual but you never know. Modern day cats dont really sap power like the ones from that era did (they were horrible!)
Fwiw when buying nowadays its the sellers responsibility to get that all done, the system wont accept you trying to smog and register it I found that out the hard way about 2 yrs ago.
Fortunately he followed through...he wasnt happy about it but my smog was rejected. Had to be in his name, his ID. So sellers saying "as is", you have to smog etc dont believe it.
If they refuse, walk.
But i believe you are correct. If you put mid-90's efi and cat in there and get it to pass mid-90's specs, you should pass... But easiest way is legit new cat and ebay smog pump, lines and manifolds.
Last edited by derekderek; Aug 6, 2018 at 12:27 PM.
Maybe put a wtb-whole 75-79 exhaust ad on here. There are people who swapped it all out and are reluctant to toss it... In my state, once cat is missing, it has to be replaced with new. Emissions people STILL haven't figured out aftermarket cats are worthless.
Last edited by derekderek; Aug 6, 2018 at 12:33 PM.
Emissions people STILL haven't figured out aftermarket cats are worthless.
Have to agree, put a well known brand Ca legal set on my 02 truck its never had the same power as it did with the GM ones.
Id ask the smog ref what PN you need....there was a major discrepancy when I had to do my smog a few mos ago. The PN was legit but it was discontinued and replaced with another.
The "test only" smog guy saw an opportunity to basically try and force me to buy a set through his buddies muffler shop or enter me in as a fai, complete scam. Had to tell him Id have to come back the next week to get it done, went to a friends shop first thing the next morning. Fortunately he didnt enter it in the computer as I promised Id do it. Had me by the short hairs.
Keep us posted OP, youll get it to pass. Going to the ref in the first place gives you points so to speak. Once in awhile youll get a jerk but most times they will work with you some. Once you get that sticker youre good! Then you can stroke that 350!
It has info on the referee program and even some info on a service to help locate hard-to-find emission control parts.
You definitely want to find out WHAT will actually be accepted before you start spending money and time. IF you decided to go with an EFI conversion, I know that MSD Atomic EFI is CARB-approved. I don't know one way or the other about any of the other available systems. I wish you minimal hassles and lots of luck.
Alternative to smog pump?
