hey guys im in the middle of swapping a carbed 383(1980 block) into my 86 305 tpi camaro. if i install all the emission equiptment back in the car will it pass the visual tamper inspection? also will the car fail because of the efi to carb swap??
any state emmision inspectors on the board help me out( :

 

get to know the inspection station/mechanic they can be a big help with letting little things slide where im from yours will pass fine though

 

It is not technically legal to go from TPI to carb in an '88-later 3rd gen. Putting a carb on is pretty obvious visual tampering.

"Getting to know the inspector" and "letting little things slide" is risky for both you and the inspector. A TPI to carb swap is far from a "little thing".

 

isnt 86 old enough? or it it because your going back in time with parts is where your illegal?

~the rule i was told was if the model year came with carb & tpi, you could do either because the car came from the factory that way... that may just be something my shop told me though~

 

Brain fart. Saw '86 and read '88.

If you put a carb on an '86 that was originally TPI, you'll have to use a computer controlled carb with all of its emissions equipment.

 

Right. Yes you can swap from a TPI to a carb but you'd be going backwards, and the emissions inspectors frown on that. But since you have an '86, you can put an '86 or '87 complete carb setup on it and be legal. And some of the emissions equipment on a TPI is not the same as that for a carb, so you'll have to do some searching and scrounging.

 

Since when does NC have emissions testing? Maybe try registering it in a small, remote town like Sylva.

 

You could also check for any loopholes in the inspection/emission laws. For example, if your car has been in your name & inspected for at least a year and you drive it less than 5k/year you are exempt from emissions testing in PA. Cars registered as classics or antiques are also exempt. I don't know if NC is the same, but it might be worth looking into.

 

thanks for the info guys

 

Hello Allred! In NC we have visual inspections up to 95. 96 and up have sniffer tests. Although I am not an inspector, I do have a bit of experience in this. As a carb model was offered in the year of your car, it can be done. The emissions equipment has to be in place and appear to work. We also have a 35 year limit for inspections. 74 back models do not have to be inspected at all!!! But beware...law enforcement are still allowed to cite for faulty or missing equipment on inspection exempt vehicles.

Things that are looked at are: carb breather, EGR, Cat, AIR injection system (air tubes on exhaust and air pump), spark control, and PVC.