Whoa! Don't panic. You are not correct about the practical details of
California's current laws.
California recently changed its smog inspection requirements from a "30-year
rolling" limit to "1974-and-later permanently". Meaning your 1973 MGB is
permanently exempt from smog inspection, but your 1974 MGB needs to be
inspected every other year, forever, and will be expected to have "all
original equipment installed and operable". As an aside, I might add that
the smog station operators, which in CA are not state employees but
independent shops, are seldom very familiar with LBC engine compartments,
and are perfectly capable of overlooking modifications such as Webers,
headers, and even superchargers, if the tailpipe emissions pass based on the
year of manufacture.
While I believe that the law "on the books" says that all vehicles of any
vintage must retain their original smog equipment, this has no practical
effect on vehicles of vintage 1973 and earlier, since there is no provision
for inspection.
This change in the Washington law may come as a shock to you (I don't know
what your previous law entailed, if anything), but in CA, this is
essentially what we have been dealing with for decades. When I purchased my
1966 MGB in 1988, it was still eligible for smog inspection, every other
year with the registration renewal, until the 30-year window slipped by in
1996-97. This has not seemed to have a major deleterious effect on the car
hobby in CA, and I would not categorize Washington's plan as a "lunatic
scheme" based on your description, although it would doubtless incur some
inconvenience.
At worst, it might drive up the prices of chrome-bumper models versus RBBs
(but of course all right-thinking persons prefer them anyway <g>).
on 12/9/04 9:24 AM, David Breneman at david_breneman@yahoo.com wrote:
> Posted 09 December 2004 at 17:22:51 UK time
>
> I'm posting this here becasue it effects predominantly MGB owners.
> Outgoing Governor Gary Locke announced today that he'd like to give
> us a little something to remember him by: The adoption of
> California's automotive emissions laws here in Washington. Press
> reports are non-technical, non-specific and non-critical, but one
> recently-adopted hallmark of the California plan is the elimination
> of the exemption for cars over 25 years of age. That means that if
> you have a 1968 MGB with the smog pump removed, you're in trouble. If
> you have a 1976 MGB with the catalytic converter removed, you're in
> big trouble. All cars must retain all original smog equipment under
> California's plan. Now is the time to contact your legislator and ask
> him or her to put the kibosh on this lunatic scheme.
>
> Locke is quoted as saying that his plan will reduce CO2 emissions by
> 20 tons a year. Mt. St. Helens is emitting 200 tons a year. This plan
> does *nothing* but make life tougher for all car owners, exspecially
> classic car owners. Let you voice be heard!
>
>
> =====
> David Breneman david_breneman@yahoo.com
>
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the primer red one with chrome wires
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