I was informed by my mechanic, (one of my mechanics), that it is useless to do engine swaps in California now due to new laws. As of 8 months ago, he said it is impossible to get smogged because of new testing regulations. Apparently you can no longer cheat on a smog test( not saying I’ve done that, wink wink) because the engine vin has To match the car vin? Something like that, he was talking so fast. He said it’s almost impossible to get your car registered now with the new smog test because they require the car to be tested in “real time”. I’m not exactly sure what that means, If anyone has any information, it would be much appreciated. This almost foils my whole plans with my Firebird because this same mechanic was going to help me with my swap, and last year we were all excited to do it. Now he is saying it would be impossible to register and it’s not worth it.

 

So if your original engine blows up and is not rebuildable , you can't replace the engine? Glad I don't live in California...

 

Call the California smog referee. They will have all the correct info you need. Ask them directly not your friend.

 

Sounds more like your mechanic just didn't want to do the engine swap and/or work on someone's car that was engine swapped.

 

I agree, sounds like your mechanic doesn't want to do the work. Engine swaps are completely legal in California still as long as you do it right. I'd like to see the smog techs try and see the casting numbers on our cars.

 

The OP might be onto something. I had recently read that California has said that the new E-rod engines (which I've read are supposed to be 50 state legal) are actually illegal to put in the thirdgen because it is still considered "tampering with emissions equipment." Anybody else hear that?

 

Who said that? The entire point to the GM E-Rod is that it's a 100% kosher way to drop in an LS-based engine. It comes with all its own CARB approved emissions equipment minus the cat-back portion.

 

I honestly can't remember, it was another car website though where the topic was LS swaps in california.

 

The mechanic is a family friend, been in business for about 30 years here in North Hollywood, in my opinion he knows his stuff... he is a business man and would never turn down business, especially a chance to make a bundle on an engine swap.. he was the first to suggest putting a corvette engine in my bird when I got it.. he was also referring to his experience doing an engine swap on his sons car.. so he was speaking from first hand recollection dealing with the DMV, the hoops they had to jump through, legal etc.., and I’m definitely not claiming he did anything illegal... like I said, he threw so much info at me at once, and I was only there getting my moms oil changed for her, and we got to talking about the future of my bird.. so I came on here to see if any other Californians have had similar experiences.. seeing is how this is a new law/stipulation, approximately 8 months old, there probably isn’t to many people that have had to deal with this yet.. I will contact him and ask him exactly what law codes he’s referring to, because I don’t want to give up on the idea of an engine swap.. or I just leave this god awful political **** stain called California..

 

I was under the impression an engine swap was still legal in CA.

 

The only new California smog law for 2019 I can find is that brand new cars get an additional 2 years before they need to be smogged now. I feel like something this major would have had some coverage within the automotive enthusiasts circles before it took effect.

I've heard that when doing an engine swap (like an LSx swap, not a rebuilt stock engine replacement, CA doesn't really care about that), you sometimes get screwed and end up with a smog referee that's incredibly **** or goes on power trips and fails people for no real reason. I'm betting he ended up dealing with one of those and they pulled this matching numbers nonsense out of their rear as a reason to fail it. I'm not sure if you're stuck with the ref you see first or if you can go to another location or something.

Smog refs are not the same people you see for normal smog checks. They are the ones who give the pass or fail as to whether or not you properly swapped in that LS1 and retained all the proper emissions and emissions-related equipment.

 

Like I posted earlier. When an engine swap is done in California (which Im in California) you deal with the carb referees during the swap process not the DMV. Call the ref for your area and speak to them First. Its a simple call. Talk to them about your swap and write down all the info they give you. Refs are also the ones who certify/verify your swap before its road legal. You will get a new tag for the car as swap certified.

 

 

They don't want you to work on your own car either: Can't paint it and minor repairs must take less than 24 hours.
Also can't work on a friend's car.
http://www.code-enforcement.saccount...utoRepair.aspx

 

I feel your pain, opie, but I'd get the heck out of Dodge.

Good grief; what a hassle it would be to live in a state with wall-to-wall traffic, sky-high gasoline costs (not to mention gas so lousy it will hardly burn if you lit it with a match), constant PITA auto inspections with arbitrarily-enforced rules, and municipalities outlawing working on your own car.

 

My car was re-certified in december and the ref said nothing of any new/changes for engine swaps.This was for an e-rod that was in my 84 prior and is now in my 89 vert, got my bar label affixed and we even talked about the new LSA erods for a bit.Thats about 8 months ago now, ive not seen anything on the CARB site either.Should probably go there first instead of listening to unverified info.FWIW, it damn well better not be so or as mentioned...time to bail Ca.

 

My understanding is that swaps are still legal as long as you swap to a same year or newer and keep the smog equipment that came with the motor. The motor has to come from the same type of vehicle. Meaning you would have an issue with swapping an LS that came from a truck to a car. The reason being that truck and cars have different smog requirements and potentially different smog equipment.

 

Can this be used instead of L31 and TBI + adapter?

https://sdparts.com/i-24508757-chevr...SABEgKnyvD_BwE

 

It's technically not smog legal, but it would certainly blend in better as a stock engine vs the L31. Your accessory drive/starter/exh manifolds should bolt right on. The exception would be the intake manifold, i dont think the bolt pattern is the same with vortec heads, but im not an expert on that, so dont quote me on it.

This might be a safer bet, but its intended for trucks.
https://sdparts.com/i-24502360-genui...te-engine.html

 

This is correct: it takes the same intake that the L31 would take. Which makes sense, because for all intents and purposes, it IS the L31. All the same parts just marketed differently. Same heads, same cam, same block, same pistons, same same.

Also correct. It's nominally a "truck" motor for emissions purposes, not a car one. However, eeeeeezzzy enough to make it look enough like one that is, that it's not likely to be noticed, as long as you use an intake that has an EGR valve on it.

The other motor is a truck/Caprice TBI 350. Basically exactly identical to what you've got, just 45 more of it. While it would CERTAINLY be emissions legal, it's not a real good bang for the buck, if you want "performance".