New guy looking for answers or tips

[snacks]

Got an 85 and wondering how to get around smog in california

[Malo83]

Ain't gonna happen

[78 Big10 454]

Snacks, what problems are you facing in relation to the smog issues?

[fast75]

i don't know about california, in texas you get an antique tag. with that you need no inspection, you're exempt.

[AceX]

I have an '85 and am about 20 minutes away from you.

The quick and simple answer is that you can't do it legally. You can however, make the system work for you.

Taking a bigger motor out of a newer truck can take you a long ways, so long as you transfer over all the smog crap too.

Lets say the you pulled a 5.3 out of an '06 Silverado. You would need all the smog equipment and the original ECU (it has to be a truck ECU otherwise it wont pass). Then you take it to a state ref. who inspects the swap and makes sure that all the parts are working as they should. He'll then give you this cool little sticker that goes in your door jamb and will put a special note on your registration. This little sticker in your door jamb has the information for the motor, what year truck it came from, etc., and when you smog the truck next time, they run the numbers from the sticker instead of the VIN.

Any smog legal mods are fine as well so long as they match the motor. So if you supercharged it, it would have to be a kit for an '06 Silverado and would have to be 50 state legal.

Understand?

Also, you going to the Sacramento Autorama this weekend?

[snacks]

i might be going i also have a 66 short fleet im trying to get ready to paint in two weeks so if i have some time ill go thanks for the info i was aware of how that worked i just thought there would be an easier way like out of state reg or somthing

[menace121978]

aceX, good info... i'll be there friday!

[68c10owner]

I`m kinda in the same boat with my 84. it passes smog no problem but when you pop the hood you can barely see the engine. I plan to do a 5.3 swap at some point. I`m not too far from you either.

[AceX]

I just stated this in a PM:

I'm waiting for the new 6.0's and 6.3's to become more common place to do my engine swap. 405 smog legal, factory engineered horsepower, easily upgraded to 600+ hp. God Bless America.

[rick1956]

How far back does Cali go with smog testing requirements? Here in Washington they go back only 25 years.

The 84 I just bought last summer was totally stripped of smog equipment but still had one year left on the inspect requirements. I dodged that by titling it in a non-test county. Won't be long before they test everywhere here though...

I have to say: When I follow a non-catalytic vehicle nowadays I can sure tell. They stink big time. I have to give the government some credit for fixing our air--It's a lot better than it used to be.

[morrow07]

Hey guys, new here. Got some answers for you. My 77' hasn't been smogged since 1998. There are 2 way I've got around it. The first was registering the truck in Meyers, Ca. just outside of South Lake Tahoe. We had a cabin up there, and a PO Box. There are no smog requirements in that county.

The second way was after we sold the cabin, I changed the mailing address to my father in laws house in Copperoplis, Ca. Again no smog up there either. My father in law has had his 78' up there for about 6 years, and hasn't had to smog it either.

If you know someone who is willing to let you use there address, and there a no smog requirements, give it a shot. Its work 11 years for me.

[chevyrestoguy]

Smog testing is a necessary evil for us out here. You have very few options, and they all require work and money.

1) Find a '75 or older truck and swap everything over.
2) Late model engine/trans swap (better to buy a complete wrecked truck so you can get everything)
3) Find a 80's era diesel truck and convert it to gas (engine swap)

I'm hearing rumblings that California is so broke(yeah...) that they are seriously considering rolling back the smog law back to vehicles 1965 and newer (the way it was 15 yrs ago) because they are needing the revenue. That'll be a sticky situation for all the vehicles in that year range that were modified because there was NO smog laws applicable to them. I heard all of this from a guy who runs a test-only station, and I have to believe that he's hoping that it goes through so he can make more money. Nothing this state does would suprise me at this point. There are a bunch of bunch of democrats in Sacramento that now have Obama's ear to promote their Clean Air initiative. I wouldn't be too upset if I had to put catalytic convertors on all my stuff, but if I had to put all the crap back under the hood, I'd be pissed.

[BoeJaker1976]

well...when i ...uh...i mean this guy i know that lived there...he usually brought in a case of beer to the local smog dude and he did the rest. thats how "my friend" got his truck legal in cali

[68c10owner]

Originally Posted by BoeJaker1976

well...when i ...uh...i mean this guy i know that lived there...he usually brought in a case of beer to the local smog dude and he did the rest. thats how "my friend" got his truck legal in cali

Yeah I know a guy too but that guy can`t help you when you get the random "test only" on your registration renewal. My guy even had to go to someone else when he got one. Late model truck engines are the way to go.

[andrewmp6]

Move out of state or tag the truck out of state.Stay away from utah they test everything from 67 to today.

[pig rig]

I can see it now if cali. changes to smog test every thing back to 65 all the bunny fornicaters and tree huggers in olympia cant be out done by cali. so washington will be testing back to pre war era

[AceX]

It will stay @ 1975. It probably won't go up for a long time, but it won't go back. There would be alot of legal matters involved.

[smashingchuck]

Man I'm glad we don't have to deal with the crap you guys are talking about here in Michigan.

[dammitmitchell]

ha ha ha
i know this dude umm.. boe jaker...
he brings a case of beer everywhere he goes..
and his truck is shiny

[mhicks]

If it's over 15 years old in Texas none of the smog stuff is checked. If the truck came with a catalytic converter then it must be on there otherwise they just do the normal drive it and check brakes, wipers, tires, lights and exhaust pipes. Kinda nice. I live in the 5 county DFW area and they are strict on the other stuff on the newer vehicles. Never heard about the antique tag.

[ScottH]

I have a 84 with a 305 that I'm about to remove all the original smog stuff from. If u want it it's yours for the cost of shipping. Only thing is not sure just yet when I'll be taking it off.