I will possibly be taking a job in the Baltimore area later this Summer. I see my housing choices as Maryland, Pennsylvania, or, possibly, Delaware.

I have gone to the emissions pages for each state and looked over the requirements. What I need is the "real deal" on emissions testing for these states. How tough is it, how bureaucratic is it, are they hot rod friendly.

I would particularly like to hear from people with a set-up similiar to this:
1989 L98 350, SR, AFRs, long tube headers, and six-speed.

For Pennsylvania residents, I am looking at Lancaster, York, or Adams counties. How tough are the inspectors on the "visual test"?

Thanks,
Alan

 

I believe most of the shops are going to be strict on the inspections. They don't want to lose their gold mine by risking getting caught. How about the under 5000 mile exemption. Do you drive it more than that?

 

I drive the &^#@ out of it! 5000 miles would probably get me through April.

In the PA visual inspection if they see the long tubes with O2 and emissions equipment, the SR CARB number, etc, will it be a problem? Do these guys understand performance emissions parts?

 

You ought to plan on changing out the long tubes for the stock manifolds and pre-cat Y-tubes for the inspection. I have yet to see a smog inspection place in Cal that will shine on an obvious out-of-compliant "visual". They have too much at stake for the piddling fees they get. With the Cal EO# SR, that should not be an issue. Most states accept Ca EO# equipment as okay.

 

I lived in DE for 38 years... one thing I know is DE inspections!

They are more prone to fail you for noise and light violations then a visual!

Delaware does a limited visual on older cars. I would not fret them. If it passes the sniffer, you are ok. As long as you have the main cat, you are ok. Just make sure the car is hot.

Northern Delaware is tougher then lower DE, tho.

Finally, DE inspections are done at the inspection lane, not an inspection station!!!

 

MD emissions is more slack. most likely they won't do the roller test. just tell them the car sits low and your afraid it will rip the exhaust off. best case scenario they give you a 2 year waiver. worst case they just look under the car for a cat (if they do that sometimes they do sometimes they don't) maryland is more of a "If it passes it's Ok" i know guys that pass emissions with gutted cats, radical cams, ect. just turn down the timing and run some alcohol in the tank and run her in HOT. no underhood visual inspections in MD.

 

When you move to MD, you need to get a vehicle safety inspection. They check the brakes, lights wheel bearing play, exhaust etc... I don't think your headers will be a problem. You do need a cat.

After the safety inspection you go to the MVA and register the car and pay a 5% tax which is based on the value of your vehicle, get a new registration card and MD plates. Sorry to tell you, front plates are mandatory.

I have a auto trans, 355 with AFR 190 heads, Super ram intake and Side Effects side pipes which retains the factory cat.

You should have no problems at the emisson station. They don't look under the hood. Some times they look for a cat with a mirror but the Vette is so low, they can't see anything.

In MD they do a roller test unless you're OBDII.

Last time I went to the Emission Station (once every 2 years) the guy said the car was to low and just did the tail pipe sniffer test.

If you pass the safety inspection test, the only thing you have to worry about is passing the emssions test.

If you plan on living in PA and working in Baltimore, the drive down I 83 gets pretty bad during rush hour.
All it takes is one accident and it's a mess.

As far as living and Delaware and working in Baltimore look at the map. You either come south on I95 which is a long drive or across the Bay bridge (Annapolis area). During the summer months the beach traffic crossing the bridge is a real pain.

 

i think he means newark and I95 going into Bmore from up north is a PITA!

the bay bridge uses RT 50 not I95

check out areas south of bmore like Anne Arundel County, Howard County, or Carrol County. the commute into Bmore is alot less hectic than coming from the North into Bmore.

 

This is true, but housing is much more expensive in AA County than in Baltimore County above the Ft. McHenry tunnel... Sothpaw lives up that way and commutes to Linthicum daily (south of Baltimore).

Some decent houses to be found in Glen Burnie, but it's not the best all-around area. Some good places, some bad.

PM one of us off-line if you want housing info...

BTW - last time I got the Vette emissions-inspected, I got the too-low exemption. Now I'm due again but with all the SuperRam install issues I've been having I have not been able to get it driveable enough to take the test. Soon, I hope, and I can tell you how it does. '86 w/SR and 219, long-tube headers, and 4+3.

Safety inspection is somewhat of a joke, too. They care more about the condition of your suspension bushings (got failed because ONE rubber shock bushing was dry-rotted at the edges) than the actual driveablility of the car (the clutch was slipping REAL bad). PA's is much more rigorous, and you need to get the car safety-inspected on a regular basis as well.
[RICHR]

 

I used to live in Pa, the county I was in did not require emissions at that time. Been in Maryland for 2 years, the emissions workers are contracted so they are not actually state employees. They didn't even pop the hood.
My car was throwing a code 32 and a brake light, I just cut a black piece of plastic, cut it to fit the info center on my 87 and put my space insert from MA, went through the sniffer and roller with flying colors. I really think you will be fine.

 

Mine is a 93 OBDI car. My car is in no way will pass inspection. turbocharged low compression 383LT1 with a custom cam 222/230 @.05 .565/.605 lift. It has no cats, no emission devices. But friend get it to pass at the dealer. All he has to do is enter pass pass pass............ Now if it a OBDII is little different he says.

Bruce

 

When I lived in AA County, I took the Vette to the Glen Burnie station next to Home Depot/Costco. It was too low and the guy waived 2 years of overdue fines and gave me a 2 year renewable waiver. The thing can't pass a nostril test much less an emissions test.


PS. Housing...bought a house in Millersville in 2002, sold it for 150% of purchase price in 2004. Must be that there are 4 race tracks inside an hour..MIR, Capitol, Mason Dixon and Cecil. Maybe not. 75/80 I believe is closed now.

bwdave, How you doin there in Hancock?

 

In PA I would find a good shop that works on rods and such. They'll help you get thru if you have any real issues BUT... I've had no mufflers on my 95 A4 for 3 yrs. now and had it inspected at two differant places....Nobody has said a word. I think they think that big azz resonator is the muffler!

 

Doin fine buddy, got my heads, superram, 219 cam, fuel injectors, some 18 inch rims and workin on some valve covers. Just need to get some roller rockers, push rods, and gaskets. hopefully I'll have everything ready and together in the next month. How did you make out from the storm damage?

 

[QUOTE=rrubel]This is true, but housing is much more expensive in AA County than in Baltimore County above the Ft. McHenry tunnel... Sothpaw lives up that way and commutes to Linthicum daily (south of Baltimore).


More expensive in AA? They are building 800 k houses new in our town. And property/income taxes are higher, I think.

I wouldn't recommend the commute down I-95 or certainly not I-83 from north. As Mic says, shoot for south.

Really, your issue is that housing in MD is very expensive and the policing is very strict in certain areas (like I-95/I-895). Also, it is a very Blue state (only MD and Mass. voted for Dukakis in 1988 over Bush; MD got it's first Rep. Governor in 40 years or so recently and he could well be unseated next time around).

Penn. is cheaper and less blue. Delaware also seems more reasonable, but I don't I haven't been there much.

Best choice would be too find work elsewhere.

 

I wouldn't say that the MD emissions testing is a farce. Other people can say that but the test itself is valid for the gasses your car passes. My 94 failed twice and squeeked through the 3rd time on the stock engine when the cat was gutted. It had been done by a previous owner and I didn't know it then. After engine mods including a Hotcam it failed by a large margin. The good thing is they did not hassle me about the time it took for me to install headers and a custom exhaust with bullet cats. I got one free extension on the time and the retest was free.

Another good thing is they don't look underhood for mods like they do some places, including some areas of PA.

If your car is clean it will pass, if not it won't. And you don't just pull back timing on an LT1 unless you have your own personal copy of LT1 Edit to tweak it. If you have an early car with a distributor you may be able to pass by tweaking, but why not make it legal anyway?

The land under my house is worth more than double what the building is worth, although my taxes are not that bad. It pays to stay in one place when it comes to taxes. I'm in AA county south of Bmore. The commute into Bmore is relatively easy, especially compared to anything in DC or the west side of DC. They are building a ton of townhouses and apartments north of Crofton around Waugh Chapel that should be affordable for someone single, or for young marrieds.

 

in glen burnie town houses at cromwell station are going for 260k with 2 car garages

 

Isn't it an amazing time when 260K is an affordable starter home? The mortgage on my first house in Cape St. Claire was $224.00 for a house that cost $28500. And I got in a couple years after prices started to climb.

Da(m)n. What do young people starting out do today?

 

Another place to find reasonable housing and a decent commute is in Laurel. It is straight down I-95 from Baltimore. Laurel is in 4 counties and Montgomery County and Prince Georges County have much higher property taxes. Anne Arundel county is the least tax rate and Howard is next, but closest to Baltimore.

 

Yup. More expensive in AA. Look in the Sunday paper where they list the most expensive home sales for the week - Anne Arundel usually has 6 of the top 10. And they're not all on the water.

My little Glen Burnie community has half-mil+ houses now, and we're not even a really desirable neighborhood!

Young people today either rent for more than my mortgage payment, live with their parents, or both have to work good jobs.

Oh, and MD emissions are a joke for the exact reason that it IS so easy to pass or fool them. Emissions testing is supposed to be performed for a specific reason - to clear the air (which is in fact the state program's slogan). Instead, it's become a revenue-generation facility for the company that won the contract, while the gross-polluters get their waivers ($500 repair receipt gets free pass!!!) and keep polluting.

OBD-II cars - plug the reader in, check for codes, pay your cash, leave. My Outback was throwing an EGR-related code (kept popping a vac line) so I reset the ECU right before going in. Passed with flying colors...

[RICHR]