I had some time today and drove over to Dyno Don's shop. I got a chance to look at his latest headers while I was there. As pointed out in other posts his basic design is based on the 1 3/4" SLP headers but improved.

What impressed me with the latest design was the improved spark plug clearances. He showed me the headers installed on angle plug and straight plug heads of different manufactures including the new AFR Eliminators. I will tell you there is plenty of spark plug clearance. Don has done a very good job.

 

How do those affect somg? Do they have the CARB number?

 

so these are shorties? any power losses compared to longtubes?

 

They look just like SLP's, so that's what you tell the smog guy they are. We havent had any problems at the test yet.

Yes they are shorties, and no we have no idea how they do against long tubes, as long tubes arent smog legal in CA.

 

Kevin, if you talk to Don i asked for a total price of the headers and shipping so I can send the money order. Let me know. Thanks. I PM'd him a few days ago and haven't heard back from him. I know he is busy.

Jason

 

i noticed awhile ago that they sell the air plumbing kit. forget where i saw it but couldnt you just take a AIR plumbed set off the say the smog legal shorties and insert that onto a pair of longtubes making them smog legal or do they need the CARB number to pass?

 

I don't know of any long tube headers that are CARB legal for our cars. So even with the air tubes it would be harder to get by. You would have to rely on the ignorance of whoever is smogging your car.

 

i would think if the AIR system is installed and working properly, they should pass a modified set of longtubes that have air installed

 

right, they should, but long tubes themselves, are not carb compliant, regardless what emissions devices you have hooked up to them.

 

Just like running 2 cats on a car that originally had only 1...

Even though it will run cleaner, it still is "CARB Legal"

My brother did that on his Silverado, ran dual exhaust on it, and it passed the sniffer with flying colors, but failed visual.

Or my parents used to have a 89 Crown Vic Wagon. It passed the sniffer like a brand new PZEV vehicle, yet the timing was a few degrees to high so it failed. Once the timing was fixed, it barely passed smog by something like .01 in each category...

Gotta hate the smog *****

 

thankful i dont live in a smog crazy state like cali

 

Yea, thats gonna work real good. I was turned away by a test only guy, and I HAVE SLP's.

Technically speaking, they arent legal... and getting away with them is a crap shoot. You may, you may not. I have 'legal' headers and was turned away. Guy said I needed the sticker with the EO# attached on my cowl support or hood or its a no go.

 

Chris I had the same problem. I told the guy I bought them before all this came out. I showed him the receipt which I still have and dug up the EO# for him and he then passed me.

You need to find a technician who you can work with. I think there are a number of techs who don't care that much as long as all the smog is hooked up and passes the sniff test. What some techs are mainly concerned with is that you are not from the state and your car is not a setup.

 

Thats because the law says they have to have an EO or they arent legal. So while you may be able to run around town until you find a guy whos smarter or will look the other way, the laws are pretty clear on the matter. No EO, no pass.

 

Chris:
You KNOW how bogus that is.
What difference does a label make whether they work properly or not.

I have several shops that say the same thing..."if everyting is there and hooked up"...no problem.

 

I was turned away by a test only mechanic. Ask my dad, he was with me.

Its not bogus, you should know better.

 

I was BSing with the tech at the Chev station we know and a guy came with a 80's chevy truck with a aftermarket intake WITH A EO NUMBER. 3 other smog places turned him away,EVEN WITH THE EO NUMBER.
And the same happend to a friend of my with a ford pickup. 2 places would not smog the truck even though the intake had a EO #.

Bottom line is, without a EO number they ARE NOT LEGAL. They may even run cleaner than SLPs but that does not make them legal.

 

This is a strange thread.

From my point of view, shorties vs long tubes look the same when the engine is open. You'd have to look for them under the car to notice.

Failing a car because it has 2 instead of 1 cat or dual exhaust instead of single. Yeah, I know those are the rules. But if I were a tech, I'd have a hard time failing somebody because of that. Especially if their emissions readings were green and clean. The dual cat thing in particular. I mean that would be like failing a car because it has a 3 way cat instead of the factory 2 way cat (older car).

Being turned away because you have SLP shorties with AIR that says SLP right on the headers and has the EO number? Crazy!

Are these EO numbers a California only thing or is it a national standard?

 

Smog techs are not state employees, but they are licensed by the state. Many techs only want to work on stock, unmodified cars, because they are just covering their butts. Its too much hassle for them to look up every modified part on your car to see if its legal. During that time they spend on your car, they could be checking two or three other cars and making more money. Also, I have heard stories of state referees bringing illegal cars to smog techs to try and bust them. They dont want the hassle, so they turn away modified cars.

When I said its bogus, I mean its bogus that you were turned away even though you had the correct EO numbers on your parts. And its also bogus that stuff that helps the car, like dual cats instead of a single cat, is not allowed.

The EO numbers or Carb numbers (same thing) are a California thing, but it also applies to states that are using CA's smog test program.

If you're so worried about being legal, dont modify your car.

 

California only. The OE number is assigned by CARB to say that the item "passes" with them and then it becomes Cali smog legal. No OE#, CARB either didnt pass it, or hasnt tested it yet
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That is a great way to summarize up this whole entire thread

 

There's no EO number on my headers. He said I needed a sticker. He looked at the supercharger and after I showed him the EO tag on that he was ok with it but wouldnt do the test without an affixed sticker for the headers. Thats the story, if you want to call him you can. I have his number. He was just following what the laws are.

Here's the law, the only thing that really matters:
"Engine Modifications

No internal or external engine modifications (cams, pistons, intakes, etc.) may be performed unless the parts are ARB-exempted or EPA-certified for use in the installed engine. "

Whether or not you can find someone to turn a blind eye or not, based on whether or not they're doing their job, worried about getting busted by a sneaky BAR rep (one of who I know and he was a jerk), or complying with the written law, is another subject entirely. I could care less about being legal or not, I just want my registration handled. I've done it over the phone in the past. The car doesnt run dirty so really it doesnt matter in the grand scheme of things, but as far as the state is concerned with giving me the registration sticker it makes all the difference in the world.

You dont have to be stock to get hassled about being illegal. Been there, done that. Numerous times. It doesnt matter if its modified or not, its who is looking at the car. Its just that much more difficult trying to pass off a part you know isnt technically legal, you have to find the guy that doesnt care what it looks like.

 

WOW, This thread is WAY off topic, so where do I get some of Dyno Don's headers?

 

Just PM me and I will fill you in on the details.

 

We could probably find a tech that would pass long tubes, but since nobody makes smog-legal long tubes, we would have no sticker we could use. The state's problem with long tubes is they move the location of the cats, and that's not allowed. So shorties are all we are allowed. Yes they're so **** about it they wont even let you move the location of the cats relative to the underside of the car.

And as we all know, all street vehicles are required to keep the emissions devices intact and functioning, as its a FEDERAL law that takes precedence over state and local laws. Even if your area doesnt do smog testing, the FEDERAL law says you have to keep your emissions devices on the car in order to drive it on the street.