My '77 Passes CA Smog!!
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 12,399
Likes: 247
From: San Jose CA
Right you are Jake.The standards get tighter and tighter so I am told so good move getting a '74. It's been a while but I recall getting a mailing or two from the state offering me money to take the car off the road. I don't recall a dollar amount but I'm sure it wouldn't be anywhere close to what I have into it. I think the cars between 1975 to when they started putting ECUs in are the hardest to keep legal. Heck, I love a good challenge (insert masochist emoji here)
Having tried to keep a 78 and an 87 Corvette on the road, I can say that the 78 projects to be much easier. Mechanical smog controls, no matter how stupid they may be, are far more prolific. By the 80s when some cars were getting port EFI, some getting throttle body EFI and some sticking with carburetors, parts became far more specific and electronics integration started to happen. There were quite a few smog parts for that car that no longer existed in a new off-the-shelf SKU I could buy.
The 70's stuff crosses a lot more vehicles and many of those parts carried into the 80's for the TBI and electronic carbed vehicles. Not to mention, if something isn't QUITE working right, you won't hit a CEL which is an instant-smog-fail in an EFI vehicle, even if the tailpipe numbers work out.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 554
Likes: 82
From: San Jose CA
I have all my smog tests over time and you can see the limits dropping, which is simply ridiculous.
Having tried to keep a 78 and an 87 Corvette on the road, I can say that the 78 projects to be much easier. Mechanical smog controls, no matter how stupid they may be, are far more prolific. By the 80s when some cars were getting port EFI, some getting throttle body EFI and some sticking with carburetors, parts became far more specific and electronics integration started to happen. There were quite a few smog parts for that car that no longer existed in a new off-the-shelf SKU I could buy.
The 70's stuff crosses a lot more vehicles and many of those parts carried into the 80's for the TBI and electronic carbed vehicles. Not to mention, if something isn't QUITE working right, you won't hit a CEL which is an instant-smog-fail in an EFI vehicle, even if the tailpipe numbers work out.
Having tried to keep a 78 and an 87 Corvette on the road, I can say that the 78 projects to be much easier. Mechanical smog controls, no matter how stupid they may be, are far more prolific. By the 80s when some cars were getting port EFI, some getting throttle body EFI and some sticking with carburetors, parts became far more specific and electronics integration started to happen. There were quite a few smog parts for that car that no longer existed in a new off-the-shelf SKU I could buy.
The 70's stuff crosses a lot more vehicles and many of those parts carried into the 80's for the TBI and electronic carbed vehicles. Not to mention, if something isn't QUITE working right, you won't hit a CEL which is an instant-smog-fail in an EFI vehicle, even if the tailpipe numbers work out.
Pro
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 503
Likes: 182
From: San Diego
We’re car lovers. Most people don’t care much about their cars. They just want to get from point A to point B. I’m fine with getting old crap-boxes off the road that no one cares about.
It’s a shame that it’s so difficult to keep vintage cars that people love passing, while they continually raise the bar, making it harder and harder to pass.
Those of us that care about this and other car related issues, that haven done so already, can check out this link.
https://www.semasan.com/legislation
It’s a shame that it’s so difficult to keep vintage cars that people love passing, while they continually raise the bar, making it harder and harder to pass.
Those of us that care about this and other car related issues, that haven done so already, can check out this link.
https://www.semasan.com/legislation
Intermediate
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 42
Likes: 7
From: East Bay
Jim - when you dropped the headers into the car, did you have to cut the front Y pipe short to accommodate the longer headers? I want to replace my exhaust from manifold to tip, but need to pass smog as well, and thus need the Y-cat-Y setup. Thanks!
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 12,399
Likes: 247
From: San Jose CA
If performance is your goal, long-tube headers are the answer. They will wake up any C3 engine that’s using stock manifolds.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 554
Likes: 82
From: San Jose CA
Good luck!
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,873
Likes: 25
Help me understand...............
Heads, intake, headers, all have an EO #?
Or no. and the smog dude passed the you the vis anyway.?
Just to be cool with your smog guy, erase the report here.
Just in case.
No address, name , shop # etc...
(Well done by the way).............
Heads, intake, headers, all have an EO #?
Or no. and the smog dude passed the you the vis anyway.?
Just to be cool with your smog guy, erase the report here.
Just in case.
No address, name , shop # etc...
(Well done by the way).............
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Race Director
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 12,399
Likes: 247
From: San Jose CA
Help me understand...............
Heads, intake, headers, all have an EO #?
Or no. and the smog dude passed the you the vis anyway.?
Just to be cool with your smog guy, erase the report here.
Just in case.
No address, name , shop # etc...
(Well done by the way).............
Heads, intake, headers, all have an EO #?
Or no. and the smog dude passed the you the vis anyway.?
Just to be cool with your smog guy, erase the report here.
Just in case.
No address, name , shop # etc...
(Well done by the way).............
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 554
Likes: 82
From: San Jose CA
My smog guy verified the EOs for the cat, headers, and heads. The last two are the obvious mods, even though there were EO stickers on the firewall. He didn't ask about anything else.