itsaprothing Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 So my project corolla is almost done, problem is, it's got a 1ggte from the jdm GA70 supra. The car is a 76 (I know, 1 year..) so it would have to go through smog checks and what not. Has anybody else successfully registered their cars in CA with an illegal JDM motor? SR20, RB26, etc.? I've heard that the SR20 can pass smog but would never pass the visual test, i'm sure I can figure a way to make the 1ggte pass smog, but what would I do about the visual? i'm also "sharknosing" the corolla and swapping its lights to imitate the skyline C210 (very bosozoku inspired, go ahead and flame) so I thought about maybe registering the car as a Specialty car? or maybe go the SB100 kit car route since it won't look like itself anymore? Also, i'm not going to be daily driving the car so it won't see a lot of the road, but I do want to be able to drive it without a lot of trouble. I've heard of track cars and show cars with motor swaps and such that are legally allowed to drive to and from shows or to and from the track but I don't know what kind of registry or route they took at the DMV. Especially in CA. I'd like to hear from people with personal experience on this, but any help is appreciated. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 i'm sure if you have a functioning smog pump and an EGR system it'll pass visual and smog. what was the stock setup on a 76 corolla? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 OK, let's go through this: Has anybody else successfully registered their cars in CA with an illegal JDM motor? SR20, RB26, etc.? Per the CA DMV regulations the engine in the car must be a US spec engine. If your car goes to a referee they will know what engines would be legal and they have an engine serial number reference so they can deduce exactly what engine is in your car regardless of what country it is from. I've heard that the SR20 can pass smog but would never pass the visual test, i'm sure I can figure a way to make the 1ggte pass smog, but what would I do about the visual? Most any any can be made to pass the sniffer test. Your JDM 1ggte might pass a visual test at a corner gas station but a knowledgeable smog tech will spot it pretty quickly. Also, i'm not going to be daily driving the car so it won't see a lot of the road, but I do want to be able to drive it without a lot of trouble. I've heard of track cars and show cars with motor swaps and such that are legally allowed to drive to and from shows or to and from the track but I don't know what kind of registry or route they took at the DMV. You're heard wrong. Sometimes you can get historic plates for certain vehicles but it still has to comply with all smog laws appropriate for the model year. so I thought about maybe registering the car as a Specialty car? or maybe go the SB100 kit car route since it won't look like itself anymore? CA DMV issues 500 specialty car registration each year. The 2010 allotment is most likely already taken. Since your chassis already has a VIN number stamped and registered, you cannot now call it a kit car. From what you're posted, there isn't a legal way to get your car registered for the road in California. I'm sure there is a way so keep looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letitsnow Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 Did the is200 come to america with the 1g-fe? If it did, you might be able to claim that that's what you swapped in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 ...CA DMV issues 500 specialty car registration each year. The 2010 allotment is most likely already taken. Since your chassis already has a VIN number stamped and registered, you cannot now call it a kit car. ... Not so John, unless things have changed in the last few years. I freely admit I don't keep up on all our car law changes. I did a non CARB motor swap for a friend a few years back on his '78 280Z with a Tomahawk body kit. When I started the swap it was registered as a '78 Z and was getting the bi-annual smog inspections. When the swap was done he went down to the DMV to apply for the specialty construction registration. They told him they were all gone for the current year but to show up the first week in January and he should have no problem getting one. Sure enough, he showed up sometime around the 5th of the month and got an application. He had to see a referee to confirm the body had been changed to "resemble an older classic", in his case an AC Cobra, but anything older than '75 would do. His referee was quite accommodating and helpful (this may not be your experience). End game: it is now registered as a '65 Cobra/specialty construction, no smog inspections required. This was about four years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsaprothing Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 So if I registered my car to imitate the C210 skyline which is pre '75 it would be treated as a pre 75? And I can register it with the 1ggte? Has anyone on the forum done this to confirm? Maybe another s30 owner with the cobra kit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsaprothing Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 Also, the cobra was a car that actually existed in the US, would it matter that the car I would be trying to "imitate" didn't exist in the US? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Also, the cobra was a car that actually existed in the US, would it matter that the car I would be trying to "imitate" didn't exist in the US? Probably not. Dan's recommendation is a good one although I've heard that the 500 specialty car allotment got eaten up because of a lot of a new car builders around (think all the new electric car wackos that got stimulus money). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 I have watched the 'specialty construction' get snapped up in HOURS in the past couple of years. All the guys with cobras and FF5 cars snatch those up every year. Long story short: I had an L24 that predated US introduction. I had all the documents showing the engine was put into a 1973 vehicle pre may 1984 which would allow it to be legally predated so the car would smog as a 1970. But BECAUSE it was a NON USA MOTOR it had to be put into compliance with CA specifications coinciding with the year of manufacture of the motor. You got a JDM motor, they will make you comply with the US Spec. If it was not offered in the USA, you're SOL. CA SMOG is not about cleaning the air any more, it's about controlling the vehcile population to only vehicles produced within the past 5 to 10 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsaprothing Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Great feedback, I see that maybe registering my car as a specialty car might be a little rough, but what have others been doing? Just registering their cars as regular everyday cars and paying off a smog guy? Dodging police to hide their SR's and RB's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letitsnow Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Move? I've heard of people having family members that don't live in CA own and register the car for them, out of state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete84 Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Move? I've heard of people having family members that don't live in CA own and register the car for them, out of state. Yup, I have friends who do that. One has a 240SX with a SR20DET, registered to his brother in Oregon. It has been pulled over by CHP and they let it go, since it was out of state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g00kb0i Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 These are just my thoughts and nothing more. Use/adhere at your own risk. I think people often confuse the notion of smog exempt cars. Cars < 75' years are smog exempt from registration purposes. If a cop really wanted to be an ******* and you deserved it, he can still send you to the ref. If i recall correctly, you may also swap a motor from the same family of cars to an older car of the same family as long as the smog equipment is also transferred over. This brings up the question of whether a RB can be swapped into your nissan _______. G&K did the original smog modifications to meet CARB standards, so technically the RB should be registered for use in the US. Although, gtr's are AWD and only require a sniffer test. I get mixed reviews of state ref's. Some are pricks, some are relaxed, some are helpful, etc. I think if you actually took the time to do things right and legitimately from the get go, getting advice from a willing ref, his help can go a long way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 Did they? If G&K did the certification, it DOES NOT mean ANY RB complies, only those with the G&K AUTHORIZED Emissions Package on it complies. No car is "Exempt" from smog, they are just "Exempt from Bi-Annual Testing"... There are classes of vehicles which are Exempt, but generally speaking, if you have a regular plate, you need to comply---you ARE at any time subject to compliance testing! If you fail that test, you go into whatever program they deem required, gawd help you if you blow 'gross polluter'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsaprothing Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 well I knew that about the smog, its just exemption from the bi annual check up. making the car smog exempt really isn't the goal i'm pursuing, its being able to drive the car on the street and not be hassled for the swap. friend of mine has an integra with a swapped motor he doesn't get in trouble for but that's because he went through BAR but the 1ggte won't work out with BAR. just like s13's can't qualify SR20s A shop over here in Burbank "Elegant Auto Sport" has a track s14 with an RB I think in it? maybe an SR, friend of mine told me that the guy told him that with the way his car is registered he's allowed to drive to and from car shows and not get hassled by police because of its registration. BUT it can only drive a certain amount of miles per year or something like that. can anybody validate that? I tried looking it up but can't find anything even close to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsaprothing Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share Posted November 23, 2009 Came across this on craigslist but don't understand the smog exemption loophole he used, can anyone explain? http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/1468590427.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsaprothing Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share Posted November 23, 2009 Came across this on craigslist but don't understand the smog exemption loophole he used, can anyone explain? http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/1468590427.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 It's pretty obvious, he states it clearly: the engine is below 50 CID. This is right in the CVC, they are exempt. Your engine is something like 168CID, you won't qualify. Now, I got to figure out how to get that guy to hold on to that jeep till I get back and buy it. I had an 80 exactly like that one but with a 550cc two stroker. I could not kill it, and it would climb trees, this is EXACTLY what I need for my back yard, and to double up behind the Z i nthe trailer when I go to El Mirage! I want that truck. Funny thing is he's asking $800 more than I paid for mine in 1984, and mine had less than 10,000 KM on it then! Sold it in 89 with almost 80K on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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