Ok, I know the subject has been beaten to death and that there's a lot of stuff in the laws that isn't clear, but maybe you can help me out here. I live in South Carolina, and for the moment, we don't have emissions checks. So because of this, I'm hoping to build/buy a carburated engine to go in my 88 IROC. However, I've heard that the state government may be trying to start up the emissions checks in a few years, but we all know how long it takes stuff to get passed, so I figure that I've got time. I want to go the carb route b/c I'm tight on money right now and can't afford new tpi/computer stuff.

So my question is...if SC does start the emissions checks again, will putting the tpi and all the emissions junk back on my car make it at least close to legal? I know that putting an older block in my car isn't legal, but if the block is from a new crate engine, would that be ok?

I really wish they would make these stupid laws clearer if we're expected to obey them. Better yet, I wish these laws weren't there in the first place, but whatever...

Anyway, thanks in advance for any help!

--Craig

 

To answer your basic question, putting the TPI stuff back on will most likely make it "passibly" legal.

There's a difference between "completely technically legal" and "for-all-practical-purposes legal". As you say, having an older block may make it "technically" illegal, but put all the certified legal stuff in & on that older block, and it becomes legal again.

For practical purposes, though, the typical approach is to insure it looks like it is legal - correct engine type, correct equipment, etc., and then do some type of a sniffer test. If it passes both of those gates, it'll pass.

Since most SBC's look alike, at least as much as an inspector would be able to tell in the short time they spend looking, you could put a monster 434 in place of a weeney 305 and as long as the right 305-like equipment is there and it doesn't kill the sniffer, you'll pass.

A bud here started with a '90 RS 305 TBI. He took a ZZ3 crate engine, converted to TPI with Bigmouth, runners, 58mm TB and the like, did all sorts of expensive things to the engine internals (cam, 1.6 roller rockers, CNC porting, extrude honing, etc.), AFPR, custom chip, TPI emissions stickers - passed visual without a second look and dyno sniffer with a "fast pass".

 

Thank you so much. That really helps me a lot! I hope we don't go back to testing any time soon though. But every now and then someone comes up w/a bill and stirs up some kind of controversy and whatever, so there's no telling how long I've got. Anyway, thanks again!