ive been thinking of just taking my engine out and swaping something with more power because that L4 crap just aint working for me but everytime i look at something i keep thinking its going to have a problem getting it smogged ive seen some people on here with cars that still need to be smogged with non-stock engines and i just want to see some of them i could swap into my 78 ive hit up pace performance and at the bottom they all say not to be used with cars with smog and ive been doing a lot of searching still nothing decent ..... Anyone could point me in the right direction and give me some pointers on this because i dont want to be unhappy with what i buy. My engine has just about had all it can take and i think it would be pointless for a rebuild and still dont have the parts and performance i want...

one other guestion. Has anyone took out there old block and rebuilt it and put forged steel back on it and new heads n such.. what kind of power did it push? im potentually trying to go for an engine that has nice stock power but build it up part by part getting it ready for a supercharger.

anyhelp on what should be done because i want to do it all right and i dont have to much engine experence.

thanks a million

sorry if my engine questions are starting to bug

 

The problem is not in which block, crank, or pistons you use, but the actual "processing" part of the engines, such as the cam and heads. Going with a non-stock block isn't going to get you in trouble with the smog check guy, unless he happens to be an NCRS judge as well. You have to use the California Air Research Board as your mod guide, along with careful tweaking. You have to push the envelope and teeter on the head of a pin here and there, but try not to stray too far from regulation.

AFR 190 heads are by far no slouch, and smog legal, so I really don't see a problem with making a decent amount of power with those. There are very few cams that are smog legal, but at the same time, there's no way for the smog check guy to check what cam you're running without tearing the engine half apart and measuring the lobes. So stay on the side of good judgement with the cam, and you'll be all right.

All other components, intake and headers, are pretty limited. There are some low/mid-rise intake manifolds that have smog provisions, and I believe 2 different long tube headers. Hedman 68301 for sure, and then some Doug Thorleys.

Exhaust will always be a problem - dual pipes with dual cats is illegal, no doubt about it. However, you can PROBABLY get by if you have a lazy tech. I've actually seen quite a few cars in California with true duals underneath the car. I was at Kragen the other day and a little old man with a 78 SA had dual cats underneath his car... and I'm for sure he didn't try to work the system.

Anyways, that's my shpiel. You probably shouldn't pay attention to me as I've been told I'm "too much of an armchair expert" by other members of a forum. Take it for what you will.

-Steve