Hello to all,
I researched the Federal Law in 1992 when doing my first conversion. I was
informed that replacing the factory engine with another is OK as long as it
retains all emission equipment installed at the factory for that year.
Therefore, according to the Dept of Transportation in DC, by installing a V8
in any MG manufactured after 1968 and driving it on public roads is a
Felony. I elected to use a 1966 vehicle due to this.
Robin Weatherall
Chairman, NAMGBR
66 Costello FI V8 roadster
67 Costello FI V8 GT
-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Pontius <spontius@worldnet.att.net>
To: mgb-v8@autox.team.net <mgb-v8@autox.team.net>
Date: Thursday, August 27, 1998 11:17 PM
Subject: SMOG was Let the mods begin
>This is how the new California smog situation has been explained to me:
>The new law does NOT exempt any car from any smog regulations. It exempts
>the car from regularly scheduled compliance inspections ONLY. If you get
>stopped at a roadblock smog checkpoint, or get sniffed by one of the
>"electronical" exhaust sensors on the highways, and are found to have
>disabled any original equipment smog device and/or are not within the
>emission standards, you will be penalized. The law does not say that it is
>now OK to run a full race motor on the streets in a '73 or earlier car.
>Hence the problem for V8 installers: Even if you install a 1980 FI V8, a
>nice clean running engine, in a '73 or earlier B, you will have to run some
>sort of headers to make it physically fit in the engine bay. You have now
>changed an original equipment emission component, the exhaust manifolds.
If
>you are ever visually inspected in some sort of random check, you will
fail,
>unless someone goes to the trouble of getting a CARB EO number for BV8
>headers-unlikely.
>Also, according to my California Bureau of Automotive Repair engine change
>guide, a small pamphlet published by the California guvmint, it is never
>allowable to swap any engine into any car that was not originally available
>and certified in that chassis, either by the CARB or the US EPA. For
>example, it would apparently be okay to pull a straight six out of a '74
>Chevy Nova and install a '74 Chevy 305, because the '74 Chevy Nova was
>available and certified in '74 with the 305. But, does the California
>guvmint consider the MGB to have been originally available with a 3500 cc
>V8? I doubt they have ever heard of it.
>Questions for you V8 historians: One of my reference books seems to
>indicate that 7 MGBGT V8s were brought to the US by the factory for smog
>certification. Did they pass? Does the US EPA still have records of this?
>Are these in fact the same factory V8 cars still owned here in the US?
>Factory V8 owners: Do any of you have evidence of your car ever having
been
>registered in the state of California? If, so this might provide a
precedent
>for the non-factory installers to show that is is a previously certified
>engine/chassis combo.
>Not trying to discourage any California V8 installers, just encouraging
>careful research and due consideration before spending lots of money/time.
>I personally believe that the California guvmint tries to make all of this
>as confusing and daunting as possible to discourage people from even
trying.
>
>Scott Pontius
>'78 MGB (with Minnesota plates) with 3/4 plumbed and wired SD1 V8 (totally
>stock except for headers, which have O2 and EGR ports added)
>Los Angeles (temporarily due to military orders- legal resident of the
state
>of Minnesota)
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Jarl&CaroldeBoer <deboer@pacbell.net>
>To: Jim Stuart <jimbb88@erols.com>
>Cc: mgb-v8@Autox.Team.Net <mgb-v8@Autox.Team.Net>
>Date: Wednesday, August 26, 1998 6:40 PM
>Subject: Re: Let the mods begin
>
>
>>NO ...it will NOT satisfy California regs. The minimum "cleanness" (and
>>equipment) must be NO EARLIER than the year of the car. It may be newer,
>>but to bring an earlier engine into compliance is virtually impossible,
>>You'd need to modify it to work with the cat if it needs one, install an
>>air pump, engineer all other 1974 equipment needs for a California car,
>>and THEN have it meet the HC and CO specs for 1974. All in all a
>>daunting task. The '80 would need to have it's computer, if any, and
>>other plumbing and sensors as it would not only need them to meet
>>"sniffer" specs, but would also need to meet a visual inspection that
>>all the goodies (baddies?) the BAR list says must be on a 1980 are, in
>>fact, present.
>>
>>A swapped car will probably ALSO need to go to a "referee" station the
>>first time so that they can develop a special profile for that
>>particular swap and installation. Future inspections can be done at a
>>regular smog station. The referee inspection means extra $$$, a special
>>appointment, and other garbage, but I'm not sure of the specifics.
>>
>>All in all, it would be a LOT less work to trade the '74 for a '73 and
>>avoid all the hassles, since they are now grandfathered to be exempt.
>>
>>All of the above is why I resisted furiously working on anything newer
>>than a 1967 during my 35+ years of repair and restoration!
>>
>>Jarl de Boer
>>
>>Jim Stuart wrote:
>>>
>>> Bill-
>>>
>>> Why not start with a Buick or Olds block, 1961-63, with your choice of
>>> heads & other parts? Would this satisfy CA regs?
>>>
>>> Many of us run rebuilt Buick or Olds engines, & are quite happy with
>>> them.
>>>
>>> Jim Stuart
>
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