Guest 81na ZX Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 So I just got a job in Sacramento and I'll be moving out there from Michigan in a couple weeks. My 81 is still underconstruction and not registered anywhere right now. Same with my Lotus, but thats old enough nothing matters smog wise. The Supra isn't worth even trying to take Now basically if the car ends up with a KA24DE out of a ~95 240sx and I turbo it and run a standalone, will anything besides the fact the the engine is about 15 years newer be legal in California? Or am I just better off registering it in Michigan where there is no emmissions and won't be until they are federally mandated? Or, does CA have laws like Maryland that all cars driven for over ~30 days by residents have to be registered in the state? And thus I'd be screwed with these plans Yes, I did read the sticky'd thread and tried to make sence of the California web site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. G. Olphart Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Law says you live and work here, you gotta register it here. Not sure of the exact time, but 30 days sounds about right. I think you are in trouble with the 81. CA law does provide for engine swaps, but the new engine has to have all the stuff on it to be smog legal (as in the original vehicle). The turbos and stand alone system would need to have documentation of executive exemptions since the donor car didn't have them from the factory. (Not even certain that would work when initially getting a swap approved). <> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Ok, swaps in CA... Fun fun fun. Well, it HAS gotten better in recent years and I'll try to give a run down. #1 thing. ALL CARS 75' or newer MUST be smogged FOREVER! Unless laws change this is concrete. #2 Any motor swap much have a motor from the same or newer vehicle #3 The motor must be from the same class (class A must be swapped with class A only. It's determined by vehicle weight, wich is 5000 pounds I believe. Motorcycles have thier own class) #4 The motor must NOT be a degrigation in smog equimpent. (If your car has an EGR the new motor must have an EGR. If your car is fuel injected the new motor must be fuel injected) #5 The motor must have all it's smog fittings in place in order to pass the inspection. So here's how it works. You finish a swap to go to the smog ref and they'll look over the car to make sure everything that needs to be there is there. If they have questions YOU'RE obligated to answer, they don't legally have to do research to make sure what you've done is stock/oem/legal/ect. Once they've checked off everything visually they'll do a smog dyno on it and make sure it passes the donor car's requirements. (worst law ever imo) If it passes they'll then make up a sticker that will go in your engine bay that as the VIN number, Make And Model, Engine Involved In Swap, and a bar code for smog shops to scan, I think that's it. Once a swap is completed you're car will be smogged every other year (same as everyone in the state) and you'll most likely be sent to a TEST ONLY station (as opposed to just any smog shop you find). Your car will forever have to pass the emissions test of said donor vehicle. ================================= Ok, now here's what I would recomend. Get a swap completed with a 100% stock motor. Don't be afraid of them regecting you the first time, it happens to most people. Listen to what they want you to do and DO IT. Come back and try again. Once you've gotten everything done they want done you'll have a legal KA swap. THEN find a CARB legal turbo swap. A turbo like this will say "CARB legal" on it or "50 state legal". Basically this means it's been tested by the C.A.R.B board to not be determental to emissions. This is a harder test for turbo kits but it is doable. It usually requires the company to provide EVERYTHING so that an owner can't customise it and change the air/fuel flow beyond what was tested by teh CARB board. This also means ALL, yes ALL boost controllers are ILLEGAL. This doesn't stop many people, becuase a smog tech would have 1, know what it is and 2, find it. There are hundreds of people in CA that just swap motors everytime smog rolls around. There are also countless people that remove illegal parts every other year for smog. I don't like to recomend illegal things on the net due to the nature of the media format. So i'm just gonna recomend geting the swap done legally, then making legal upgrades from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingnutthehutt Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 First let me say Welcome To Sacramento! Second. There IS a law that says that the car has to be registered here. However, if you can swing keeping it registered out of state somehow, that would be the best way to do it. Gollum, can you clarify somethin' for me? He will have to smog it every other year becuase it's an 81, but pre-smog vehicles, 75 and older according to DMV person I last talked to, don't need to be smogged at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Ah yes you're right. It's 75' and bellow not 74' and bellow. Thanks for the correction. There's still uncertainty when you talk to refs on as to weather or not you'll have to smog the car if it's 75' or older when you legalise a swap from a newer vehicle. Most refs will just tell you to wait and see if you get a notice in the mail. This is one of the main reasons you wouldn't want to legalise a L28et swap in an older Z. There's just too many unclear laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 81na ZX Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Very helpful guys. thanks. I'm happy about the '75+ thing - my Lotus would never pass - Weber DCOE + big cams stock. Doesn't sound like it'd be any eaiser selling the 81 and getting a 70-74... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Good info posted by Gollum, but I think the exemption includes 75's...so try to stay away from 76 and up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COZY Z COLE Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Fees must be paid within 20 days of entry or residency to avoid penalties. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/howto/htvr9.htm#feesdue LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingnutthehutt Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 California Department of Motor Vehicles is run by Ralph Nader. It's a federal secret but it's true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COZY Z COLE Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 California Department of Motor Vehicles is run by Ralph Nader. It's a federal secret but it's true. Let's not pursue this path on this thread any further.... LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 After reading this it is apparent that if you want to move to CA, just go there and buy a new car already equipped with all the smog goodies. Seems to me to be the cheapest way to go. So, the sticky for CA should read, "leave your junk where you came from see CA dealer, buy new CA certified car!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240ZR Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Its not legal but Ill tell you what i personaly did.... I bought a PO box in Reno, and had my car registered there and they really don't care about smog........ but the other things about CARB are true.... I spent 6 months and $15k trying to get a 427 LEGAL in a 76 Mustang.... long story short I never worked out, ended up selling the car at a huge loss and swore off newer cars for life... Crazy swaps are best reserved for cars that are smog immune in California.... Or the ONE Loophole in California law is "If the car is NOT a manufactured CAR!" eg A KIT CAR or things of that nature (I belive cars that had a productions of less then 15 also count).... my best friends dad BUILT a Lotus (i think it was, it was a hot euro car with a weedwacker of an engine) and never had to register it even though he drove it ever day, but he sighted the automotive codes..... where only manufactured cars need to be smogged and registered... OK i am off track.... sooo what I had planned on doing was building a z31 frame and building my own z31 kit car with a LS1 Donor... never happened but it was my idea.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COZY Z COLE Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Or, you can have the Z Gods looking out for you..... 2003 I take my 75 280Z to my local DMV to register it because I bought it from a person in Texas. Part of this process is one of the DMV people have to come out to the car for a visual. I thought this is it, I'm done for. I open the hood and say to the person , " Doesn't that look cool??" There is my 355 SBC with a new blower on it plus alot of chrome parts and the car has sidepipes. The person said "Yes, it looks real nice." Next question was where is the federal emmision sticker on the underside of the hood? My answer was when they cut the hood to mount the cowl the sticker was on the part they threw away. The person said ,OK..... and signed off on my DMV form...... Damn... Needless to say I will not say what sex that person was. I then had to get it smoged, but that's a story for another time..... LOL LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-Dreamer Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Doesn't sound like it'd be any eaiser selling the 81 and getting a 70-74... I've got two S30's, a 72 240Z and a 73 240Z. The 72 has a rebuilt L24, 5 speed and really clean body, but old paint, perfect original dash, center console and all gauges that worked when I purchased it, but no carpet and needs new floor pans. The 73 has a virtually rust free chassis, but the body is a little rough and does not run. I will take $2000 for the 72 and $750 for the 73. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingnutthehutt Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Let's not pursue this path on this thread any further.... LARRY You got it. Sorry Larry. No more propaganda from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COZY Z COLE Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Thank You.... There are things in CA. that get me fired up too but this is not the Site to vent on them...... LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 No car registered in the state of California is exempt from complying the with smog laws in effect for the model year of the car. Remember, the 75 model year and older exemption is just from the bi-annual and time-of-sale smog inspections. If you're driving your 1972 240Z and get stopped at a roadside compliance inspection station (pretty rare) it will get checked and you will be subject to all the smog regulations. Same is true if a cop stops you and writes a ticket requiring a smog inspection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 What he says is 100% true. We've still only really touched the tip of the ice berg in this thred. If you want more info, feel free to PM me or IM me at AIM: Gollumthesage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 used to have a smog license untill last march.dont need it where i work but but i am renewing it soon.my car is a 77 with 81 turbo swap.it gets sent to test only every time.and it doesnt run good with stock ecm.registered it somewhere else.the part about having pre 75 cars being stock is a pain.if you really piss off a leo you are screwed-he will want to know how your car run so fast.so if you have a hot rod keep a low profile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two40MuscleZ Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 JohnC: You know my stand on this issue! LOL...It's either you gotta catch me first or catch me if you can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.