Smog and Motor Swaps??

[tfreer85]

Okay, I live in CA and everyone knows we have horrible Smog regulations. I have a 280Z that I'm rebuilding and I want to build a high hp motor with keeping it street legal. The motors:

 

1) Rebuild the L28E, turbocharge, forged internals, etc. etc. Worried about the old FI not being able to pass smog with the new turbo.

 

2) I've also thought of doing a 4 banger swap, i.e. KA (turboed) or SR which seems I could get more hp (more parts) easier with still passing smog easier.

 

Basically what it boils down to is should I rebuild/turbo and try to pass smog. Or should I buy a newer engine rebuild and have more readily available smog parts. No matter what I'm going to do i'm going rebuild. The car's purpose is going to be a street killer (daily driver), and the occasionall regulated drag race. I'm already trying to shave some weight with some cf and fiberglass parts so thats another plus for the 4 cylinder. I know about all of the if it has a cat originally it has to have a cat now. However I've heard that my car will be Smog exempt in a couple of years is this true? Some say it isn't some say it is. And I have read the Sticky on the motor swap but isn't too much of a helpful, but left me questioning.

 

Tyson

[Bartman]

I think the rolling exemption has been stopped and that only '75 and older vehicles are (and will ever be) exempt.

 

The engine choice depends on what you like best. Just make sure it's from a later model car and you keep all the smog equipment with it.

[JMortensen]

Get a '75.

 

The SR20DE came in a Sentra. So you could install that engine, with all of its computer and smog equip, then turbo it. The SR20DET never came in any car available in the US, so it will never be smog legal, even if you left it totally stock and installed all the crap that came on them in Japan.

 

Or you could do the same with a L28ET, with all of its smog crap.

 

Turbos are CARB legal as I understand it, but with NO mods to the efi or fuel pressure or anything else. If you have a 75 or earlier then you can do whatever you want, including starting with an SR20DET or putting whatever EFI setup you want on your L28ET. This is one of the infuriating things about the CA smog laws. You can make the car run 100% better than stock and have 1/100th the emissions and it still won't pass the visual inspection in CA. Best IMO to avoid the emissions testing altogether and find a 75 or older.

 

According to the CA laws, a 75 with an SR20DET is also not smog legal FWIW, but since there are no inspections required you basically would have to drive past one of the mobile smog inspection units looking really fishy to have trouble.

[karay240]

Another thing to keep in mind when getting a donor motor in CA is that you will HAVE TO get the motor from a CA car. Some cars are different in CA, and just like anything else, "they" are taking it too far. We're trying to get a couple customers' cars' swaps done by the book, and have been talking to the "Ref" about legality issues and such.

 

Just be sure that the motor came in a car that was originally sold here, and retain the smog equipment.

 

Another thing that kind of threw us off guard is that they are a little strange about AT to manual swap on a AT only model. This is for the guys that want to swap the VH or VK motors into your car.

 

Hope this helps.