CA Engine Swap Laws/Question

[JEM]

Originally Posted by Gregs71

one ref won't pass my bosses 454 tbi in his 85 jeep b/c the "frame was not meant for that big of a motor". Best bet is talk to the guy doing the inspection.

That wouldn't exclude the swap.

Basically, the engine must be of the same year or later and must have originated from a vehicle of the same class (that is, no 8600GVW TBI 454s in passenger cars or sub-8600GVW trucks.) It must be equipped with all OE smog equipment including cats in the original location (usually this means stock exhaust manifolds, sometimes something EOd for the engine's original application.) In his case, the engine would have to have been a half-ton truck 454 ('90-93 4554SS) with the proper part serial #s and all the smog equipment for that application.

It has nothing to do with the original type of engine, there are RX-7s running around legally with LS2s in them. Sometimes they get a bit persnickety about the details; I believe it's still the case that if you want to (legally) put a 351W in a Fox Mustang you need to have a block with the same part number used in the '95 Cobra R (the same block used in the '93-95 Lightning pickup and some other '90s half-ton pickups) because that was the only 351W passenger-car application of that era.

There are some vehicles, like Fox/SN95 Mustang V8s, that come in for such scrutiny from the state on smog-check results that many smog-test outfits just won't even touch them.

Vehicles 1975 and earlier are not subject to biennial smog inspection, but legally they're supposed to retain original smog equipment. I believe '66(?)-75 are still required to be smogged on transfer of ownership. There are still some counties in the state that do not require biennial smog inspection.