I've had my LO3 firebird formula since high school. I drove it for 5 years but then I went off to the navy and left it at my families house. It over heated a whole bunch while I was trying to get it home years ago and has been sitting for quite a while. Well my dad and I are trying to get it runningt again and we are having a bit of trouble. we want to check it al out and get it back up and running and smog compliant being we live in california. we pulled the intake manifold and it has passages for egr but the heads do not?? we know the heads are warped so we are going to take those off and start there. My questions are, Rebuild or replace with 350 TBI? Will it be smog legal if we do replace with a 350TBI? will a pre 87 engine (305 or 350)work and be smog legal? I just want to get it reliably running and then start modding it. Only mods so far are: open element filter Ulimate TBI mods (bore ridges removed and radiused) I will be checking this all through out the day but I only get to my home town about once a month as I am stationed down south, so I'll be out with the car a lot.

This would be best answered by someone that knows the Cali smog info. Most of what I know about it is from reading others posts. So keeping that in mind, this is my understanding:

When the smog station tech opens the hood everything must appear stock. Anything that isn't stock needs to have a CARB sticker for it.

So keep the original air cleaner as the open element won't pass.

Also need the all of the original emissions equipment: PCV, charcoal cannister & solenoid, EGR, and so on.

You can't install an engine that is older then the vehicle model year.

You can install another engine that was offered for that model year, however it must be complete. Meaning for a 350 you need to go with TPI along with the ECM and calibration for it. GM never offered a TBI 350 in an f-body.

If you install a newer engine, then you need to use the complete engine control managment to go with it. And it will be held to the newer engine's model year emisssions spec.

Now with SBC engines looking the same for '92 as they did in '86, a tech is hard pressed to be able to tell which year engine is in the vehicle. Although a sharp tech along with a suspicion that something isn't quite right, they can find out if the engine is legit.

Check out the Southern Cali regional board here on TGO. There are a couple of guys there that deal with emissions on a regular basis.

RBob.