CableSrv Posted January 5, 2002 Share Posted January 5, 2002 Ok i wish to get better understanding many ppl will say that 73 or older is smog exempt however some will say that it depends on the engine! however this is what confuses me for instance the L6 engine can be swapped out with just about any older or newer engine up to 1983 so how would you classify that ? say i have a 1982 L28 block but a 1972 head ? then what i have a mixed matched engine so how would you classify that within smog laws ? or better yet how do you classify any swaps in texas as i'm really confused and theres very little i can find on the net about it that states it very clearly. it's driving me up the wall as I plan on getting a 1970-73 240z and want to do the v8 swap but merely concerned as to what i need to follow for smog wether i will be exempt or will i need to get it smog legal! I want to swap with LT1 as i plan on staying fi and using a t56 trans. but dunno wether i'll need to keep the smog equipment on the engine or if i'll have to put on cats. if anyone in texas has talked to someone or knows the info can help i'd greatly appreciate it. Later Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin_Jason Posted January 5, 2002 Share Posted January 5, 2002 Welcome to the group Nick! The smog laws can seem pretty complex, i know. I live in CA (the smog capitol) and we have it as strict as anybody. Im not quite sure what Texas' laws are but I would imagine that if you stayed within CA specs you should be legal. On with the info. First off, in CA atleast, indeed 1973 and OLDER are smog exempt. What this means is you will never have to have the car inspected or 'sniffer' tested. However, the law still states that you have to replace the original engine with " the same year as the vehicle or newer". For all practical purposes tho, you can do what you please to the exempt cars because nobody is going to ever verify the engine in them. By installing an LT1 you are WELL within the true legal limits anyways. Now if you were to buy a car thats 1974 or older (not exempt), thats where the red tape kicks in for engine swaps. It goes as follows. The engine must be the same year as the car or NEWER. The swap engine must retain ALL of the smog equipment the donor car came with. The car will be tested by the same standards as the donor car the swapped engine came out of. So if you swapped in a 1995 Camaro LT1, the smog station will setup to test the Camaro..not your 1974+ Datsun. All go-fast goodies must be C.A.R.B (california air resource board..smog nazi's) certified and pass the visual inspection. Something as simple as an air filter can fail you during visual inspection if the part doesnt have a C.A.R.B sticker with it. Theres lots of BS involved when you have to smog a hotrod. By getting a 1970-1973 240Z, assuming TX has similar smog laws to CA, you'll be saving yourself alot of trouble. Also, regarding the 1982 engine with a 1972 head, the "smog nazi's" will judge the year of the engine based on the engine block number. But mind you, if the swapped head wasn't as compliant to emissions as the original, the sniffer will rat you out and you'll get the big F even if you have no other speed parts. The bottom line in your case is that your plan of attack is fine! With a 70-73 car you can go nuts and the LT1 is "within legal limits" anyways so rest easy. Do your swap the way you want to do it and enjoy your car! Hope this clears up the "smog" alittle Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CableSrv Posted January 5, 2002 Author Share Posted January 5, 2002 OH MY GOD!! Thank you soooooo much that clears alot of the info up. but to be honest that's kinda goofy to me but hey if they wanna play like that i can play there game so it looks like i'm going to get a 1970-73 240z and do the swap with a LT1 and T56 trans thank you for all your advice. and I'll still call my emission ppl and talk to them to verify that it's the same in Tx before I start this project. Thankz Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Star 1 Posted January 6, 2002 Share Posted January 6, 2002 Hey Nick I have a 73 240Z with an LS1 in it and the last two times I took it in for inspections the inspector never even look under the hood. The LS1 was only in it the last time it was inspected. However the inspector did comment on how well it was running. If he only knew how well it runs. 73 and older in Texas no problem and you won't need any of the smog stuff, except what the computor need to make it work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted January 6, 2002 Share Posted January 6, 2002 In TX... well in the Dallas and Tarrant County anyway Any vehicle 2-24 years old is required to be checked for safety and emissions. Brand new cars dont need emissions and any cars 25 years old and older dont need the emissions part but you are still required to go through the states extortion.... i mean safety inspection. I have a 75 280 Z and im not even worried about it. Although I think the oldest block you can get should be as old as your car. e.g. 75 280 - 75 block no 74 and below. Hope it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 6, 2002 Share Posted January 6, 2002 Check your local DMV site, many of the southwestern states have exemptions from testing depending on counties or cities, some rural area's can sometimes be exempt. Calif. is currently 73 back, but you are still supposed to comply with smog laws the car came with. Its exempt from testing, but not from smog controls. It is possible to run into a CARB (cal. air resources board)roadside test in which case you would need to grab your ankles, because the price of each infraction of federally mandated (state controlled?) smog devices is not very nice. Like I say though, check your DMV you may luck out and be in a non-testing county. Good Luck, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CableSrv Posted January 11, 2002 Author Share Posted January 11, 2002 mmm i might try and find a 280z then seeing as it should already have ac and the R200 already in it. now just trying to find a year to get any suggestions ? apparently it seems i can go 77 and older as 77 is 25 years old so that would put it in smog exempt status. correct me if i'm wrong please so anywhere from 77 and older would be a good canidate right 280z already come with R200 and have ac ready or easily put in. but 240's are lighter ? hmm but also harder to find Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonfen Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 I have a 74. Never been smog tested in the 4 years I've owned it. It has 2.8L NA with turbo. Never had any problems. My understanding is anything 24years and older. I didn't write the laws, so I may be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jwelch Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 I agree with LoneInAz on checking your local DMV. Currently in Arizona everthing 1967 and newer must be tested for emissions. Although the amount of emissions allowed is different for every year. I have a 77 280Z with a 1970 SMB 350. In AZ. the car must pass as 77 emissions spec regardless of the engine. Hope this helps. "Just pray that the hydrogen car doesn't take off for GM and we have to convert" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peternell Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Smog Inspection, I don't need no stinking Smog Inspection. As said before check your State regs. Large metro areas in Washington require testing, while the rural portions have none. Getting ready to rip the remaining smog junk of my full sized 85' GMC Jimmy, just couldn't resell it in Seattle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CableSrv Posted January 12, 2002 Author Share Posted January 12, 2002 Thankz for everyones help and yea I plan on doing the conversion with a friend or two's help and no i wanna prep the body and brakes and suspension and get fender flares! i wanna run 10-11" wide tires to help put the power i wanna run to the ground however i'm not really intrested in paying $1000+ a rim for custom hre's or kenisis wheels! screw that! so if any of you know how or what i'll need to run something like that like should i do a 5 lug or stay 4 lug ? or what kinda confused as to wether that's stable or not or worth it i'm not a tire person so i'm really confused when ppl talk offsets and backspacing however i wish to learn that's why i decided to do the v8z Spotfitz thanks alot and your right by the time i finish the car it'll probably be exempt and thankz alot ppl i really appreciate the info you are given me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted January 12, 2002 Share Posted January 12, 2002 after the spacers are done and paid for and you have wheels and tires, you are gonna be out the pockets more than 1k easy, especially with the big meats.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotfitz Posted January 12, 2002 Share Posted January 12, 2002 I've had a '74 for about 5 years now and I was waiting the year I didn't have to take the sniffer test. 25 years and older are the rules for the D/FW metroplex. Some of the outer counties don't have anything but visual, but you need proof of residency in that county. If you plan to start the swap as soon as you get the Z, get the newest(best condition usually) Z you can get, which would be the '78. By the time you get the swap done it will be exempt, unless you get paid for working on the car, but then you would probably be able to inspect it yourself then, wouldn't you. The 280Z's are said to be heavier, but at the cost of a stiffer frame. Pull the bumpers and put 240 or early 260 bumpers on and most people can't tell the difference until they look at the interior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CableSrv Posted January 12, 2002 Author Share Posted January 12, 2002 your right i will be out of cash but with that BIG MEAT i'll be able to put the power down to the ground a bit easier than with 7" or 9" which to be honest i don't care how much i'm out of, since this is a project car i'm going to put the best that i can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted January 13, 2002 Share Posted January 13, 2002 hey im not trying to discourage you from going wide, thats cool rock your thing baby. im just saying theres no cheap way out of it at some point, why not run some watanabe rs8s they are pricy but you can get them in a 15x10 and 16x10-11 that have 0 offset, and a lot of other japanese rims that i cant afford. then theres always the bfg drag radials... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CableSrv Posted January 14, 2002 Author Share Posted January 14, 2002 do you know a website to look at them ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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