Guest Anonymous Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 At least in CA, it's illegal to swap engines in a car newer than 1973. But I see lots of people here with 260 and 280Zs with V8s and major mods to them, are you all in another state where it is legal or is there a way past it? In CA I beleive you can't pass smog and therefore cant register the vehicle if the engine has been changed, but 1973 or older are excempt from smog. So, how is it done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 Originally posted by Dan_Patterson:At least in CA, it's illegal to swap engines in a car newer than 1973. But I see lots of people here with 260 and 280Zs with V8s and major mods to them, are you all in another state where it is legal or is there a way past it? In CA I beleive you can't pass smog and therefore cant register the vehicle if the engine has been changed, but 1973 or older are excempt from smog. So, how is it done? Theres nothing stopping anyone from putting in a motor in a car after 1973 in california. You just have to meet smog specs for the car or the motor whichever is newer. Meaning, you can put a 1996 motor in the car, but it'll have to have ALL the smog equip of a 1996 car. You put it all in, take it to a smog referee station, they eyeball it, put it on a sniffer and then issue a sticker on the car proclaiming it from hence forward a legal swap and then it can be smogged a registered legally in the state of california. Thats the legal way, the illegal way is paying somebody to look the other way, put another car on the machine and then just falsifying records to show your car as clean. This happens all the time, but the shop is risking BIG BIG federal fines and loss of license by doing so. Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 Lone... Are you planning on moving back to California any time soon??? Nikita Kruschev former # 1 authority in the former Soviet Union once said to Richard Nixon "Some laws need to be broken".. Is California going totally berserk with you cannot not do anything but "serve the interests" of the STATE LAWS (and pay the taxes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 It is not illegal to swap motors on '73 or later cars in CA. The rule is, the motor must be of the same year or newer as the year of the car, and must have all of the required emission control equipment that is applicable to the year of the replacement motor. You can't put a '77 motor in a '79, but you can put a '99 motor in a '79. You need to visit the smog referee to have the installation certified, and after that, you go have your bi-annual check as usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 Ok bear with me here, I'm new to cars hehe only 14, but I catch on fast. So I could swap ANY motor 79 and up into my 78 Z from ANY model car? Or does it have to be from the Z series only? And what smog equip would we be talkin to make it legal if I did make the swap, or does that vary with the engine I decide to put in? I'm not really gonna do this soon but I'm looking to see what dream car I might afford in the future, I was narrowed down to 73 and older Zs, Mustangs, or Camaros. But that was just because I wanted a car that could be V8 swapped and be legal. If it isn't that hard to meet smog specs, my choices might be broader... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 The motor must be from the same year or newer and retain all the smog equipment supplied with that engine. Also the engine must from the same family of vehicles...that is, a car must get an engine from a car, a light truck must get an engine from a light truck etc, etc. The ONLY difference with pre-1974 vehicles is that they don't have to get smog tested, but are technically subject to the same rules as stated above. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 Any motor from any make of car is a candidate. You do not have to stick with the same make. Here is one offical site that talks about it. http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/StdPage.asp?Body=/Geninfo/Publications/Engine_Change_Guidelines-Jan_1994.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gprix1 Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 You guys are correct. Last year I made many phone calls including the CHP, DMV, and referee station. I didn't get any straight answers 'till I talked to a guy at the referee station. He said, * the motor has to be from the same year of vehicle or newer. * Must be from the same type of vehicle (cars=cars, trucks=trucks, etc). * Must come from a vehicle which originated (was first sold in) from California. * Must have any and all smog related equipment that came with the vehicle that the motor originated from. He also said they will run the #s on the block to verify. So, it would be a good idea to verify where a block is from (origin and vehicle type) before purchasing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 240z bumpers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 22, 2002 Share Posted September 22, 2002 Ok thanks guys, that cleared it up for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest the_dj Posted September 22, 2002 Share Posted September 22, 2002 I have a '78 280Z. It's 24 years old and doesn't have to pass emissions in TX. I have had ZERO problems with legality. Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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