bens1088 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I have a 1979 280zx with a premuffler instead of a catback. It passes smog now, but I am putting on pacesetter headers (with the 02 sensor) and a flowmaster muffler. Will it still pass smog? the car was bought in North Dakota 20 some years ago so theres just a premuffler. What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 It will have to have a CARB sticker. If you have the CARB sticker then you're OK. I had a technically legal header but didn't have the sticker and was failed once. If it is required to have a cat it won't pass the visual inspection for that reason either. Get a CARB approved header (if you have to have one) and a high flow cat would be my recommendation. Also I'd skip on the Pacesetter. Pacesetter is kinda junky IMO. I don't think that anyone that makes a really good header has CARB approval. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rztmartini Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 speaking of smog checks...what is the cutoff date where you dont need to pass emissions anymore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 75 and older in CA, and it doesn't change anymore so if you have a 76 you're stuck smogging forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens1088 Posted July 24, 2006 Author Share Posted July 24, 2006 aw crap i already bought a pacesetter header from craigslist. is there anyway to get another carb sticker? i know pacesetter headers are carb approved or whatever. do i need one for my K&N filter too? how about flowmaster? or just the headers? thanks so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Well, jon's right. There ins't any good CARB legal header for the L series. This is becuase of the high costs to get any part legalised. It just doesn't make sence to spend all that money just to sell parts to ONE state. You BEST bet, would be to get a header back from a junkyard car and smog it with that, then if you want to use illegal exhaust in the meantime put your other setup on. Unless it's obviously loud you shouldn't get pulled over for noise pollution, and i've never met a cop that would actually get on the ground to look for a cat. Can good luck getting a CARB sticker. It would be easier to fake it to make it look OEM by getting rust paint to make it old looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I don't think so on the muffler. K&N I'm not sure. You might contact Pacesetter for the sticker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens1088 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 crappp i talked to pacesetter today and their not approved by CARB. I think im going to just say i just painted the oem header cuz it looked so bad. lol i know ppl have pulled that off so its worth a shot. or i might do the rust paint. cali makes this so damn hard. i cant believe they changed the 30 year law too. so stupid! i put up a craigslist to buy a carb sticker. maybe i can buy one? i dont know. anyone know a friend who does smoggingin the bay area? im installing a 40 series flowmaster. so it goes aftermarket headers---> premuffler--->flowmaster how loud do u think it'll be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 280ZForce Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 dont worry about the pacesetter header...you should still pass smog and if i remember correctly they look stockish to a person who doesnt know better. my friend owns a 82 280zx and has cold air intake, pacesetter header, custom 2.5" exhaust w/ magnaflow high flow cat and a magnaflow muffler and he passes actually cleaner than before when completely stock. and none of upgrades are carb approved and the smog center didnt ask any questions nor comment about anything and he has done it more than once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens1088 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 lol i love you thank you. that helps so much. does his zx run any quicker with that stuff on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 280ZForce Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 i mean it's his only car and his daily driver. he has owned it probably like the last 7-8 years and loves it. He acquired the intake, header and exhaust setup sometime early last year and I'm sure it has helped his performance and free up a few hp. but his original motor does have 330k+ miles on it! he doesnt go racing w/ it or anything, but it does have a lil zip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens1088 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 wow thats crazy my dad gave me my z. he bought it in 79 and it sat in our drive way for 10+years and i randomly started it up one day and it started right up. changed all the lines, got it painted, and its kickin pretty good now. whered you get your rims from? ive been tryin to get rims for a while but i guess the size hard to find or i need adapters? ur z is tight btw lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens1088 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2412101 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 280ZForce Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 wow thats crazy my dad gave me my z. he bought it in 79 and it sat in our drive way for 10+years and i randomly started it up one day and it started right up. changed all the lines, got it painted, and its kickin pretty good now. whered you get your rims from? ive been tryin to get rims for a while but i guess the size hard to find or i need adapters? ur z is tight btw lol the rims are Riken 16x7s all around (old school classics). Every one jocks them and tells me if I ever get new rims to let them know so they can buy them off me lol. I guys Rikens used to the sh*t back in the day. But I've loved the rims since I bought the car and before I realized their rarity, etc. I was lucky scoring these when I bought the car back in Jan of 05. Besides the paint on the car and the rims, everything has almost been changed/added/swapped/modified/etc in some way or another since I bought it and I'm not done. It's been love and war w/ the Z for the most part so far, but it's been worth it for the looks I get and just driving it. You won't need adapters if you buy the right pattern size. If you buy 4 bolt rims that bolt up to a honda/acura/toyota etc, then yes, they make adapters for that. I'm not running adapters on mine. oh yeah...dont even ask how I smog my car . My car and I :fmad:hate:fmad: CA smog laws w/ a passion (as well as most of us do of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 headers and intake shouldn't really effect smog much. It's just passing visual that can be a challange. It all comes down to the smog tech. If you've got a cat, you should pass the test as long as your A/F is close. Your air to fuel is almost everything for smog. Some smog shops even have the cart that shows what gasses are created at what air/fuel ratio. You might think lean is better since there's less fuel but it just isn't true. You need to use the least amount of fuel that still achieves a complete burn. Just a tidbit of info for ya. Oh, I consider might hate CA smog laws, but I know them through and through. But I also know it's not CARS that create the majority of smog in the world, and I find it sick that such a small percentage of society can control the way OUR cars are desgined and built for sake of "clean air". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 the premuffler does really do anything for smog, You can see if something a manufacturer makes has a OE carb on teh cali dmv site (i think it was the dmv site) Usually with these cars where I live, they waive the visual inspection, I mean they look, but just for loose wires and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens1088 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 so ill leave the k&n intake and the headers on and just say i painted the stock headers cuz they were rusting. and the flowmaster shoudl be fine? thanks guys! dosent a premuffler make it quieter like a resonator? or am i a moron? lol i think the 40 series flowmaster is gonna be loud enough. correct me if im wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 A pre muffle will make it quieter yes. And there isn't anything illegal that you can do to exhaust (from the header/manifold back) except exceed the dB limit. (make it too loud) I'd say just look for a place that's either pass or don't pay, or a place that has a 50% or better discount if you fail and then come back. Don't put yourself in a position to possibly pay full price twice. (anything under $40 is a good deal here) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I'd also make sure to get a PRE-TEST instead of a test. If you fail a pre-test no harm no foul. If you fail the actual test and you're a gross polluter then you have to smog every year afterwards instead of every 2. Real PITA. Frankly I think if you get a smog tech with 1/2 a brain he'll fail you on the header. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bens1088 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 even if i just said i sprayed it black? or what if i sprayed rust paint on it? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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